


The Nightingale Girls(and Guy)

by LeapinLlama



Category: Wizard101
Genre: Action/Adventure, F/F, F/M, Gen, M/M, Magic, School
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-29
Updated: 2017-04-22
Packaged: 2018-06-06 06:59:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 25
Words: 133,612
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6744133
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LeapinLlama/pseuds/LeapinLlama
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Four teenage novices start their first year at the Ravenwood Academy of Magical Arts in a time of darkness, where the former professor of the Death School vanished and left Wizard City in undead chaos. These four young wizards take up the quest to save Wizard City, and ultimately, the whole Spiral.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. 1 - A Call to the Headmaster

**Author's Note:**

> So this series originally began as a short story, but more and more chapters were added until this became a thing! So bear with me as the chapters go on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has been rewritten from the old short story format it previously once had! Please enjoy this republication of the very first chapter!

Ravenwood, the School of Magical Arts, is home to the beginnings of many great wizards, trained from the first Firecat to the last Leviathan. With cards, these wizards store and lay residence their many spells, whether they are summons of magical creatures or raw instances of pure arcane elements. With wands, wizards command their spellcards to lose their form and release the magic within by utilizing their own spirit essence: mana. As there are many wizards, there are many kinds of them, each specializing in different schools of magic. 

Life, flows in accordance to the force of constant growth, whether it is in body or mind, flourishing and offering its abundance to others to heal and create existence, just like the positive and caring natures of Theurgists. 

Death, comes to all as an inevitable end, demanding that all things must disappear one day to leave a path for others to take and be raised into. Necromancers understands this concept and can weave souls back to life, as long as they can control their fear of death and use it as will and determination. 

Myth, draws from the mind to realize dreams to behold to the world through imagination, bringing forth creatures and phenomena from stories, dreams, and legends of the past. To control the future, is to look to the past. This is the idealism that Conjurers use to go forward with wisdom and confidence. 

Ice, is like the slow and steady glacier that eventually grasps the assured victory, eroding away the rocks and carving their marks in the world, constantly being beat down by fierce blizzards of snow and hail, refusing to let go of their resolve. This is the perseverance and patience of Thaumaturges. 

Storm, is unpredictable and wild, seeming uncontrollable and impulsive. It appears and vanishes like lightning, with its only evidence of existence being the destruction it leaves behind, leaving Diviners to grasp its opportune appearance like a spark of inspiration. 

And finally; Fire, lets wizards hold the flames of life that spreads its inferno rapidly across existence, born from the emotions and passions of Pyromancers that could surely unite all with a blazing drive. 

Scarlet Night was such a pyromancer, made to be full of passion and fiery excitement, but now wasn't one of those days. Sure, she was in Ravenwood's School of Fire, where the creamy orange wallpaper was bright with gold and red-colored flames , but the girl felt like she was plunged into a cauldron of murky green disappointment, gloomy blue fatigue, and sappy purple boredom. Upon her dark walnut-wood desk, contrasting locks and strands of bright, pale, golden hair sprawled out around Scarlet's head, making the pyromancer look like a mop. At least it's a mop made with soft, silky, beautiful hair. The reason for Scarlet being dead as doorknob was that this wasn't a class for Pyromancy.  

Not at all. 

This was a class for mathematics, the one subject she hated the most, and today's topic: division. 

Dreadful, brain-melting division.  

Even worse, Scarlet is sixteen years old, so she's surrounded by a bunch of second graders. Her overall academic level is at a six-year-old level as well. If that's embarrassing for her enough, at least she has the excuse for not being able to learn it earlier in life. In addition, Scarlet is the type of person who would do better playing sports or practicing spells rather than to mix numbers and figure out sentence structures. At the front of the classroom, the floor was elevated so that everyone could see the instructor. Every classroom was like this, with two large chalkboards at either sides and a desk in front of an alcove which contained books, relics, or alchemic items, usually all of them. Speaking of the instructor, Mrs. Splick was an old turtle with greying hair, dressed in a spotted pink sweater and a dark navy long skirt. Despite being a turtle and having slow movements, her mouth was a force to be reckoned with, as if her beak ran on one of those new-fangled combustion engines. 

"Miss Night!" Splick would call out with her granny voice. "Wake up this instant!" 

The only reply the old turtle received from Scarlet was a snort and sleepy mutter about firecats, which made Mrs. Splick sneer. 

"Falling asleep in class as always..." 

Three pieces of chalk were held up in air by white fairy sparkles, drawing and writing on one of the chalkboards. Two of them dropped onto the chalkboard's tray while the remaining one floats to Mrs. Splick. With her soft, pointy turtle fingers, Splick flicks her finger to point at Scarlet, and the stick of chalk shot like a musket round. While other wizards would have easily been hit, use a shield spell, or try to catch it with their own Levitate spell, Scarlet snaps it out of the air with her bare hand, even before a speck of white dust could even touch her blonde hair. The young'un wizard students watched Scarlet's feat in awe. The pyromancer rises up slowly, like a zombie from a grave of grogginess, groaning from her little nap. 

"Nice try," Scarlet said, wiping slobber off her face. 

For a girl with beautiful hair, which curled to frame around her face, amber jewel eyes, and a brash, yet attractive face, Scarlet fit well with the image of a drooling daydreamer. 

"You're ten years too young to ever hit me!" she claimed with slurred words. 

"I am older than you," Splick marked back. "By an immense margin." 

"Well that's because I'm..." 

She pauses for a moment to blink her eyes fully awake. 

"I uh... I'm _that_ good!" 

Scarlet effortlessly waves her arm across her view, throwing the chalk back at the turtle, but Splick didn't even have to use her wand. 

 _Ice Arts: Tower Shield,_ she recites within her mind, and a rounded, translucent screen appears to stop the chalk bullet like a blanket of thick syrup, slowing the projectile before it hit Mrs. Splick's nose. Immediately, the shield shrinks back into nothingness and lets the chalk fall into the turtle's hand. For a turtle, Splick has sharp reflexes. 

"Now Miss Night," Splick chided, "I have a problem for you to solve." 

The turtle teacher slowly picks her wand from the desk behind her and points at the board with the same speed. Scarlet squints at the board and tilts her head. 

"What is 15 divided by 3?" Splick asks. 

Scarlet only groaned. "Uuuuuuhhhh..." 

"How much can you fit the 3 into the '1' of 15?" 

"You can't?" 

"Yes, so then how much can you fit '3' into 15?" 

"Uuuuuuhhhh..." 

Outside, the sound of a clocktower bell ringing enlightened Scarlet's ears. 

"E-le-ven thir-ty," Scarlet calls out slowly for Mrs. Splick to hear. 

Unlike the lazy, sappy nature she had previously been in, Scarlet swiftly hops to land her feet on her chair, then flips out of her seat sideways in an aerial cartwheel. She lands nimbly on the center aisle of the class room, spins towards the door, and trots off with her backpack, but not before she looks over her shoulder back to the teacher. With two fingers on her lips, Scarlet tips the back of her hand at Mrs. Splick in a mocking farewell kiss. 

"Later!" she smiles. 

Everyone in the classroom watches the pyromancer head off in haste, with her blonde hair and purple cloak flapping behind her. Mrs. Splick could only sigh. 

"Dismissed," the turtle woman almost whispers. 

After listing the pages of math homework to the students, a short harrumph puffs from her beak as she eyes the door out of the schoolhouse, with both scolding thoughts and worry as well. 

"Other teachers would scold you for being teenaged fool in a basic maths class..." 

 

_____________________________________ 

 

11:30 A.M. was Scarlet Night's favorite time of the day. That is because the moment the minute hand strikes half-hour, Scarlet becomes free, marking the end of the morning. From 7:30 in the morning to 11:30 near noon, student wizards have their academic classes. They take core studies like reading, language arts, maths, social studies, and oddly enough: science, as well as electives like art, music, engineering, and physical ed. Any academic classes or non-magic classes didn't fit well with Scarlet. She thought Ravenwood would only teach magic, but there she was, forced to sit through English, history, chorus, astronomy, and whatnot. The only class she genuinely liked was P.E. 

Most wizards here in Ravenwood don't enjoy P.E, as they aren't in least active, but with the way Scarlet was sprinting through the streets of Ravenwood's campus, she would easily qualify for the Olympic Games. Though Scarlet sprinted as fast as storm snakes, the pyromancer had dared not notice the falling leaves from above; orange, yellow, and red in color, favorable for crunching in a leaf pile. While those leaves were colored autumn, the great World Tree, Bartleby, always stays green, even in the winter. 

Bartleby is a giant old tree with a face, being the center of all magic, as well as the center of Ravenwood. The old man of a tree was put smack dab in the middle of Ravenwood's campus. Well, not exactly. Instead, Bartleby had been there before time itself, and Ravenwood was built around him. 

On the other side of the leaf, Scarlet didn't have time to appreciate autumn any longer, and so she speeds on, dodging groups of idle students and sliding between the legs of the conjurers' giant troll summons. Like colored streaks, the blue Ice and purple Storm schools pass by her eyes while the Fire wizard was in pursuit to get back to her dorms. The large sleeves of her purple cloak almost unravels from Scarlet's body, revealing her school uniform: a white dress shirt under a violet tweed sweater vest, grey trousers, and white-laced oxfords clacking on Ravenwood's cobblestone streets. Luckily, Scarlet was able to keep her cloak from flying away with an extended hand and continues on. The pyromancer reaches the Girls' Dormitory, a simple double-door entrance built into the school walls, and rushes in through the large, open doors, but not before giving Blossom—the Life Tree by the Life School—a quick "hi." The bark that made up Blossom's pretty face molded and shifted to glance at the runaway pyromancer. Soon, Scarlet found herself in front of the place where she calls home: Dorm Six. Usually, Scarlet would've been happy to step in, be greeted by her dormmates, and plop down on a bean bag in front of a crystalvision set, but something else irked her. It has been three days since the new boy moved into the Girls' Dormitory. 

Yes, a boy. In the Girls' Dormitory. 

Everyday, Scarlet runs the same thought through her head, somewhere along the lines of _—_  

"Who made such a dumbass decision?" 

At this point, she decided that it's a pointless argument against herself, especially since news of it seemed to have died down a little bit over the week. 

The door creaks open, and Scarlet steps in. 

Grand wasn't a word to describe the dorm. It was more simple. At least it was kept neat on the regular. One of the dormmates always cleans up around the house at least once a day. Then again, it's a rule in Ravenwood to do so, but most students do it at least once a week since it's not often enforced. Speaking of which, after entering the dorm, Scarlet spotted the very person on her right in the kitchen. 

Morgan Mistblade is her name. Like Scarlet, Morgan is a novice wizard, starting her first year of magic here in Ravenwood. She studies in Conjuration, or the School of Myth. A very pretty wizard she is, with crystal blue eyes, long, full, flowing blonde hair. A young lady who's a little bit thick, but no less curvy around the hips and waist, appearing slender. Though young, Morgan's voice was like a mother's, sure to sooth everyone around her. With that voice, the Myth wizard recited lines of Latin with no end in sight, manipulating dusters and brooms to brush and sweep every panning tile or corner of the kitchen with magical sparkles at their handles. Scarlet's ears twitched, like she's realized something, and she gives Morgan a second listen. She was singing the magical Latin words out in a simple melody, fit for a nursery rhyme. With her voice, it proved all the more that Scarlet very much envied her. The pyromancer also appreciated her, especially for Morgan's gentle face which seemed calm everyone who sees her, with a warm, comforting feeling. But the thing Scarlet envied Morgan for the most was her— 

Supple, overly large breasts. 

Scarlet was pretty sure they were bigger than Morgan's head, and was astounded to how a sixteen-year-old could ever have such a pair of F-cup puppies. A blush even burned Scarlet's cheeks whenever she went deep into thought about them. 

 _Bless you, Morgan,_ Scarlet thought. _Bless you and your_ _god_ _s_ _-given_ _boobs._  

And her second thought would always be— 

 _I'll absolutely pound any guy who even looks at your gifts-_  

"Hello, Scarlet!" 

Morgan's sudden voice gets the jump on Scarlet, though it was serene like a mother's. 

"Oh hey, Morg," the Fire wizard replied, holding an awkward expression. She might as well have been talking aloud about her. 

Scarlet noticed Morgan's clothes, still in her school uniform with the sweater vest, skirt, high socks and all, but the conjurer also wore an apron. Not to mention, Morgan also held a duster and broom in one hand, while in other, a dustpan. 

Scarlet raises a brow at Morgan. "Since when did you have time to come home immediately and already clean the kitchen?" 

"Oh, my class had Miss Blossom, the Life Tree, as a speaker," Morgan explained. "We were already near the Girls' Dormitory, so Mr. West released us early." 

"Mr. West?" Scarlet tilts her head. "I don't know all the professors yet." 

"He's the housemaster for the Golden Perytons," Morgan explains. "You know, the one with a blond, scruffy hair. I have French with him." 

Scarlet blinks, connecting two and two together. "So if Blossom the Life Tree was a speaker for your French class... She can speak French?" 

Morgan nods. 

"Huh," Scarlet sounded to herself. 

Besides the French, a talking tree wasn't something Scarlet was used to yet. There was one for every school of magic, and each could talk. I mean sure, Scarlet had seen dryads and treants before, faes of the forest and tree men, but being a face in a tree would be an awfully boring life. 

Another voice squeals into existence. 

"Hi, Scarlet!" 

A sudden feeling of someone's head shoved onto Scarlet's back, and then they mushed their cheek on Scarlet's shoulder. This noon was full of surprises, but this surprise was something to be expected. 

"Hello, Nicole," Scarlet smiles. "Always frisky as heckhounds." 

"I just came back!" Nicole exclaims happily, swinging 'round Scarlet's neck from behind her like a monkey. 

She loses hold, ending up swinging away from Scarlet and landing on the floor with a poofy thud. 

"Oops!" Nicole sounds giddily. 

At first glance, this childish, energetic girl seemed like she came from an elementary school's red, yellow, and blue playground, seeming around the age of eight or nine. In actuality, she is fifteen. Nicole Soulthief is a mystery to everyone. She's a novice necromancer, or in other words: a student of Death. She has the clothes to prove it; a black and white blouse embroidered with thorny briar decorations, a long-sleeve fishnet shirt underneath, a witch's cap with a tail that spun into a crooked square spiral(which seemed comical), a black skirt with insignias of skulls and haunting spirits, and thigh-high heeled boots. Typically, Death wizards are the brooding types with no jokes to tell, as dead men tell no tales. But that is where Nicole's mystery begins. Instead, she's a happy-go-lucky seemingly-lunatic of a petite-sized girl who always seems to be engrossed in piles of candy and cute things. No wispy fogs of negativity were able to faze her smile, like sunrays through cemetery mists. But at the same time, Nicole somehow held the same creepiness as other necromancers, with those big, green eyes of hers. Though they were full of cheerfulness, one couldn't help if they felt Nicole's gaze always haunting them behind their back. Nicole's a weird, mystifying mix, seeming creepy and something to be avoided, but a lot of people overlook it as her appearance of a playful, small-figured girl with a blonde bowl-cut outshines those creeping qualities. 

Nicole has quite the mouth as well. Scarlet could only blink and awkwardly smirk as she listened to the youthful necromancer brief about her day. 

"The pre-calculus quiz was sooooo hard—" 

"The teacher had no idea when I snuck out—" 

"And today, we played dodgeball in the Life Tower—" 

"I almost lost my hat—" 

"THERE WAS A FOUR-WINGED TENTACLE CYCLOPS—" 

Scarlet felt like she had enough of Nicole for today already. Glancing around, her eyes squints, being on lookout for any boys in the dormitory. She isn't fond of any perverts, and she certainly isn't fond of— 

"You want some ice cream?" Nicole asked. 

The sudden words had butt into Scarlet's train of thought. 

"Ice cream?" She repeats after Nicole. 

"Yea! Ice cream!" 

In the necromancer's hand was a small bowl with three scoops of ice cream; vanilla, butterscotch, and cracker cinnamon, while Nicole's other hand held a teaspoon. She kept on rolling off the curve of her brain about the events of her day, occasionally poking a smudge of ice cream into her mouth with the small, silver utensil.  

"Also, I finally fired my pot! It came out kind of weird though. Everything was generally on-point!" 

Nicole holds up an 'okay' sign with her spoon-holding hand. To her, it meant 'hot damn.' 

"But I _thiiink_ I added too much glaze on my pot. With the glazy white contrasting on the green, it kinda looks like c—" 

"Where did you get the ice cream?" Scarlet interrupted. 

"Oh this?" Nicole blinks at the ice cream, then holds it up to Scarlet. "Yo, you want some?" 

"I'm asking, 'Where did you get it?'" 

"Oh!" 

Nicole felt silly. 

"I got it from Adrian!" She explained. 

"A-Adrian?" Scarlet stammered. "When did he get in?"  

Nicole points to the side, towards the living room with the windows, beanbags, sofas, fireplace and the crystalvision set. 

"Over there." 

Like an owl, Scarlet twists her head at the direction of Nicole's finger. Too fast, however; her blonde hair got in the way of her eyes, ending up making her blow and spit the strands out of the way. 

Scarlet can be ungraceful when she's angry. 

Once her pale golden hair was out of the way, her pupils shrunk onto her target with sights on her prey— 

The boy in the girls' dorm. 

 _Adrian Kensington_ , Scarlet gritted her teeth. 

On the floor was a large spellbook, and the upper body of a young man was emerging out of the open pages, still pushing out in an attempt to slither out of his magical gateway. 

"They don't make this very easy, do they?" Adrian grunted to himself. 

Adrian Kensington, a noble from Marleybone. With a black double-breasted suit and top hat, he always dressed with dignity. However, the young man always finds himself in ungraceful situations. Managing halfway out of his spellbook, Adrian takes a break to smile at his dormmates. 

"Hello!" He pleasantly grins. 

Friendly, overwhelmingly innocent, and unconditional, Adrian tries to be a friend with every acquaintance, but he can have trouble doing so, because he can be clumsy at times. Right now was a prime example. Adrian ran fingers through his neck-long white hair as he chuckles nervously, still trying to fit through his book, while his sky blue eyes darts back down to his waist area. Scarlet came closer upon Adrian to gaze over him. Upon closer inspection, the pyromancer saw that he actually wasn't stuck. 

Scarlet scoffs. "Are you _that_ weak that you can't push yourself out?" 

"That isn't the problem here, Miss Night," Adrian whimpers overwhelmed. "A hand?" 

He raises hand for assistance from Scarlet, but she was disgusted, simply from the fact that he was boy—placed in the girls dorm at least. The fact that he was a boy alone was the only point to prove Adrian Kensington's masculinity. You can call him by male pronouns, and look at his expensive purple waistcoat and jet black oxfords, but his natural appearance overall looked like a lady's. 

That's right. 

The physical build of Adrian was athletic, yet also slim around the waist and shoulders. His silver eyelashes were full and well, which complemented his blue eyes like snow on ice, and the way his hair frames and curls around his pretty face made him look like a shrine maiden. His fingernails were naturally perfect curved rectangles and grown to at least half an inch. He didn't have much of an Adam's apple as well. One would wonder what kind of care Adrian was given to grow up so perfectly. Heckhounds, even his voice was high enough to pass as a girl. 

"Please?" Adrian asked again. 

Scarlet blinks over him, and sighs. A slap sounds as their hands met, and she began to pull him out. Funny enough, from the last time she punched Adrian, Scarlet was sure that he wasn't this heavy, so she transitioned to bent knees and two hands.  

"Did you eat a shrike ton?" Scarlet grunted. 

"More like something trying to eat me!" Adrian half-grins. 

At first, Scarlet didn't get what he meant, but her eyes started to widen as she watched Adrian's legs slide out of the notebook. Masses of dark, slick tentacles and monstrous maws followed his wake from the spellbook portal. They didn't surface too much out of the spellbook however. Sunlight touched the creatures' skin, making them retreat back into the portal, and the grimoire's portal closes, leaving only written notes and drawn diagrams of ice cream-making magic circles. 

"Uh..." Scarlet frowns subtly. "What was that?" 

"I had to take a little swim through the Dark Dimension," Adrian chuckles admittingly. "Full of beasties." 

"Whassat?" Scarlet was a bit worried now. "I don't like the sound that. You didn't have to go through there." 

"From where I was coming from, yes; I had to." 

"Where were you coming from?" 

"R&D." 

"R&D?" 

"Research and Development." 

"You mean that place full of Blue Pegasi nerdwits?" 

Adrian gasps jokingly. "I am _offended!_ You know I am a nerd myself!" 

Scarlet manages to smile a bit at Adrian. "Why don't you go read a book?" 

"I'd had enough of books for one day," Adrian smirks, looking back at his spell journal. 

"Where did you get the ice cream from?" Scarlet glances down at Adrian laying down on the floor. "Did the Blue House have a ice cream party?" 

Adrian shakes his head. "Ice cream is my magical specialty. Want some?" 

"Uh, no." 

Scarlet was back to giving Adrian a foul look. Despite all of his feminine features and amiable personality, a boy is a boy, in the girls' dorm no less. She glances back at Morgan, who was finishing household chores, and Nicole, who was now close by on a bean bag enjoying her ice cream. 

"I still think he's a pervert," Scarlet put blatantly. 

"Which is why he is so nice to us?" Nicole cutely asked as she nibbled on a spoon of ice cream. 

"What's a pervert?" Adrian pops in all innocent. 

"Actually…" Morgan tried at her words, but lost hold of them as her friends stared at her for her interruption. 

"Morg, don't tell me you actually like him," Scarlet scoffed. 

"N-No!" Morgan stammered with a blush. "Besides, you're the one who passed out with a nosebleed when she saw Adrian taking his shirt off!" 

A raging blush burns on Scarlet's cheeks herself. "W-Well it was only n-natural!" 

Nicole finished her spoon of ice cream then licked her lips clean. "I still haven't shown him my Sunken City," she whined. 

Scarlet chuckles, switching her attention elsewhere. "Please don't say that. It sounds weird." 

"It _is_ weird!" Nic replied cheerfully. 

"Isn't Sunken City some myth?" Morgan mumbled. 

"Noooope! I got a fun assignment with my classmate Marla to uncover the curtains on if Sunken City and the legend of Grubb really is true!" Nicole smiles in excitement, but then quickly loses it. "We're still finding Sunken City, though. S'posed to be dangerous and spooky!" 

Scarlet simply blinked out of being weirded out. "Nic." 

"Yeah?" 

"You're too bright and sweet to be in the Death School." 

"Yay!" 

Nicole bounced in her beanbag, but quickly halted to keep her ice cream from spilling.  

"Oops." 

"Wait, so what did you mean by wanting to show Adrian your—" Scarlet clears her throat. "Your Sunken City?" 

"Hehe! Always fun to play there!" 

"But you said you're still finding the place," Morgan pointed out. 

"I like to play in Sunken City! So many ghosts! So _dangerous!_ I've only done so with myself at night. I want Adrian to join too! _Oooh_ _!_ It can be a foursome with you guys!" 

"Nic, you're scaring me," Scarlet said. 

Nicole raised her bowl with joy. "More ice cream!" 

"No," Scarlet and Morgan blurted out. 

The two girls both knew that Nicole isn't someone who should have sugar in her system. Scarlet's eyes goes back to the corner of her view to watch Adrian get up from the floor. 

"Hey, nerd," Scarlet calls out to Adrian. "Watch out for how much sweets you give Nicole." 

Nicole brands a profound look on her face. " _WHAAAT?"_  

"Miss Soulthief's glucose intake noted," Adrian nods to himself. 

After fixing his tie, he subtly flourishes out his hand, muttering a little bit of Ancient Latin, then a pair of smart glasses materializes onto his fingers, and he pushes the glasses onto the bridge of his nose. 

"You wear glasses?" Scarlet raises a brow. 

Adrian shakes his head, then fidgets the glasses with two hands. 

"These glasses makes me feel smart!" 

"Those glasses make you look even more like a girl," Scarlet snarks back. 

Adrian pulls his head back in retort. "So? Ooh! Does this mean I look pretty?" 

He crosses his arms and puts a finger to his lips. 

"Oh... But that wouldn't be very gentleman-like," he mutters on to himself. "Miss Penny said that I should be more gentlemanly." 

"Miss Penny?" Morgan repeats after Adrian. "That doesn't sound like any teacher in Ravenwood." 

"You idiot," Scarlet says. "Adrian calls every girl 'miss'. Which further proves that he's a pervert!" 

"Miss Penny is like my tutor, and big sister!" Adrian grins, but then blinks. "And what's a pervert?" 

Nicole pulls her teaspoon out of her mouth and points to her friends with it. 

"Naw, I'm pretty sure that he's just being overly polite to everyone due to crippling anxiety!" 

Everyone slowly turns their heads towards Nicole. Scarlet and Morgan made uncertain expressions. 

"Um, how would you know that?" Morgan asks. 

"Yeah, and he's from Marleybone, that place full of fancy dogs," Scarlet added. 

"No, Nicole is right," Adrian says jubilantly, keeping an odd smile as he stares at nothing. 

While others would've translated Adrian's smile as something weird, Nicole could tell he's internally screaming. 

"Oh I've been there before," Nicole smiles along. "What great times..." 

Awkward silence had a sudden reign between the four. Scarlet kept switching her glance between her dormmates, Nicole kept eating her ice cream, Adrian slowly crept down to pick up his spell journal, and Morgan began to continue her chores. After sweeping aside her long, blonde side bangs, the Conjurer started to sweep dust and dirt into her pan again, until she notices something. Out of all the dust bunnies, strands of hair, pencil shavings, and paper frills, Morgan's deep blue eyes spots an ornate envelope with gold corners, sealed with red, glittery wax. She was pretty that a letter wasn't swept up by her broom. 

"How did this get here?" Morgan asked. 

She bends her knees to lower herself, and picks up the letter by her hip. 

"This seal... it's the Headmaster's seal!" 

"Ooh!" Nicole bounces up and out of her bean bag. "Whatsit? Whatsit?" 

Like a child, Nicole swipes the envelope out of the timid Morgan's fingers, swinging her arm away with the letter. However, Scarlet effortlessly steals it from Nicole like she was nonchalantly picking berries from a bush. 

"You'll mess it all up, you mooky chipmunk," Scarlet says, bapping Nicole's head with a palm. 

Nicole covers her head with both hands. "I'm a chipmunk!" 

"Shush." 

Scarlet tears the envelope open on one side and lets a folded letter slide out. Her amber eyes rolls along the lines of words on the letter, skimming along really quick. 

"Report to… regarding concerns… Unicorn Way... RAMPANT UNDEAD?" 

"What's going on?" Adrian asks, hovering over Scarlet's shoulder. 

Soon, Morgan and Nicole joined behind Scarlet as well. The two glances at each other, murmuring about what kind of Undead there could be, and then spies on the lines of written words. 

"You don't think we got the letter by accident, did we?" Nicole asks. 

"No way," Morgan shook her head. 

One of Morgan's long, blue fingernails tapped under the letter Scarlet was holding. The pryomancer understood the gesture, and she flips the letter. On the back, it read— 

"To the students of the Violet Nightingale House, Girls Dorm Six," Morgan mutters. 

Out of uncertainty, she purses her pink lips, then gave her friends a look; her once bright blue eyes mixed into a darker navy shade of worry. Here they were, mere novices before a letter from the Headmaster. They wouldn't be surprised if this was a call to duty. The Headmaster _does_ run the whole school of Ravenwood, and is a leading influence in Wizard City's politics and decisions. 

"Unicorn Way has been closed for some reason," Scarlet explained. "Who knew that it was because there's undead roaming the streets? What does the Headmaster want with us and that street?" 

"Fun!" Nicole piped up. 

"Not fun!" Scarlet snapped. "Morgan!" She held the letter up to her face. "Do you know what this means?" 

"Th-That we get to go with Adrian?" Morgan stammered. 

"That we'll probably have to walk on that deadly street- Wait, what was that about Adrian?" 

A wicked smile grew across Scarlet's face, filling with incriminating intent rather than happiness. 

"And you already nicknamed him Adrie! So you _do_ like him!" 

Morgan was taken aback. Her arms retreated, sinking in her big chest. 

"I do not!" 

Adrian blinked in naivety. "I thought you guys did like me. We're friends." 

Nicole nudged Adrian with her elbow. "Naw, she likes you on a higher level." 

"I do not like Adrie!" Morgan stated sternly. 

"See, ya nicknamed him," Nic pointed out. 

After waiting impatiently with a popped vein, Scarlet raised her voice.  

"Would you all just SHADDUP?" 

Sure enough, everyone shut up and looked to her. Nicole raised her glass bowl. 

"Ice cream!" 

Scarlet throws a random bag of chocolate humongofrogs at Nicole, making her flinch and fall back on Morgan, making Morgan lean on Adrian, which made Morgan blush grow into a hot, fire elf red. Scarlet huffs, then taps on the wall for attention.  

"Look, the headmaster is going to want us to go to Unicorn Way, and we now know that the place is dangerous with the undead. Guys, we're actually going to fight with our wands, against undead, not students! We have to prepare ourselves." 

Morgan looked up to Adrian from his shoulder, then scrambles to stand up straight. "W-Wait, we don't even know we can fight or not." 

Nicole's hands brings up Adrian shirt, exposing a set of subtle, yet well-made abs. "Whaddya mean he can't fight? Look at these! It's practically like a minotaur! Well, no, it's not. But you _know_ that he's worked for these." 

The blush on Morgan burned to its brightest, while blood started to drip down Scarlet's nose, her heart beating too fast for her nose. 

Adrian raised a finger. "I am not a minotaur." 

The finger slowly falters, like a dimming lightbulb, as he started to assess the situation in his mind. 

"Well, a letter like that doesn't necessarily mean we're going sent on some quest, right? We're just novices, after all." 

Upon considering Adrian's words, Scarlet watched him, noticing the little details like furrowing brows, eyes looking down, and his thumbnail brushing gently by his lower lip, somehow also ignoring the fact that Nicole was still holding his clothes up to show Adrian's fit abdomen. Dismissing that, he was calm in front of situation and Scarlet realized this, knowing that she had to do the same. So, Scarlet read through the letter once again through each and every sentence, but then she forgot that she had trouble reading in the first place, being unable to recognize some of the more complex words and phrases. 

She gave the letter to Adrian. 

He blinked. This was the first time he felt a cooperative vibe from Scarlet. It was surprising, but Adrian didn't complain. 

"I-I..." Scarlet blushes. "I have trouble reading." 

"You seemed okay when you went through it the first time," Adrian remarks. 

Embarrassed in front of her dormmates, Scarlet looks away, letting her bangs cover her eyes like curtain fall. 

"I was just picking through the words I could under stand." 

After pushing his glasses in—and eyeing Scarlet for a while—Adrian reads through the letters out loud for the others. 

"Greetings," Adrian started. "This letter is directed towards Scarlet Night--" 

The pryomancer raises her chin raises a bit. 

"--Morgan Mistblade--" 

The timid myth wizard points to herself in question. 

"--Nicole Soulthief--" 

The blonde necromancer pops up with a bunch of chocolate humongofrogs in her mouth. 

"--and the recent arrival, Adrian Kensington." 

His eyes widen at his own mention, and the next statement as well. 

"Also, Boris, if you're peeping into letters again and reading this, or any other unlisted student is reading this, your memory of this will be wiped out and you will temporarily turn into tapioca pudding for a few minutes after five seconds of finishing this sentence." 

Instinctively, Adrian drew the corners of his mouth back, then glances at his dormmates. 

"Is this normal at Ravenwood?" He asks. 

The others shrugs, as they we're all novices like him. Five seconds pass. Thankfully, nothing happens. 

"I kind of was hoping to see Adrian turn into pudding," Scarlet commented suddenly. 

"I hope I taste good then," Adrian chuckles nervously. 

He continues to read the letter. 

"The listed students are to report to the Headmaster's officehome immediately before noon tea and brunch regarding concerns about the closure of Unicorn Way. We will discuss about the rampant undead among the streets of the residential district. Prepare yourselves to set out with prepared decks of spellcards, spellbooks, and wands. All afternoon magic courses will be excused, including coursework and homework. Plan accordingly. Sincerely, Headmaster of Ravenwood School of Magical Arts, Merle Ambrose." 

Adrian continued to stare at the letter, no longer reading along the words, but glaring at nothing as if his brain was null of thoughts and intentions. 

"But, I just transferred in," he whimpers weakly. 

His voice warranted whining instead of fear. 

Scarlet puts her hands to her hips and puffs. "I guess we _are_ getting set on some quest." 

Eyelids weighed heavy on her amber irises as she started to harbor mixed motions of anticipation, fear, and uncertainty, the feelings being redundant within Morgan and Adrian as well. Nicole however couldn't quite grasp the weight of the situation as she would rather feel chocolate melting on her tongue instead of feeling worry. 

However. 

A spark ignites within Scarlet. She knew that this was a time to take action. Though they we're all just teenaged students as mere first-years in their magic studies, Scarlet began to have a thought if they were chosen for the job, then they _can_ do it. Right? Contemplations of contingencies only concluded in her pushing away the crap like doubt and self-concern, as Scarlet decided that— 

"There's no going back," she says to herself. 

Stern steps jerks Scarlet away from her dormmates and to a counter window that connected the living room and kitchen. On the counter, she retrieves her leather spellbook to gracefully whip her wand out of it as the pages flew open. A fine wand, crooked yet balanced maplewood stick with a golden hilt, red tassels, and a handle of wrapped cotton embroidery. 

"It's a call to duty, guys," Scarlet says with resolved eyes. "We'll treat the letter as an order, and orders are to be followed." 

Morgan blinks slowly at Scarlet. "You talk as if we're soldiers." 

"Well... When you're about to head into a battlefield, you should treat it as such," Scarlet declared. 

She held her wand with a strong grip, effortlessly igniting an instance of inferno between her and the others. Compared to other novices, Scarlet had great control of her flames. 

"We can fight right?" Scarlet asks, looking for signs of assurance. "I've got my fire spells." 

Flickering flames which branded itself upon the tip of her wand reflected an image upon Morgan's eyes. The conjurer watch the small, yet blazing embodiment of Scarlet's newfound resolve, and like a wildfire, the drive to go on caught onto Morgan's spirit. Sternly, the timid Myth wizard nods at Scarlet, and she waves her hands together. They pass each other like butterfly wings, like a missed high-five, leaving a wispy cloud of blue dust in their wake. When Morgan held her hand up to the dust again, she took hold of the air firmly, like a she held onto a pole. Soon, the air bends and folds to visualize a staff of silver and stainless steel, with a sapphire orb held within a claw on the top. With her tool in hand, Morgan starts to mold her words. 

"I can probably..." 

But they falter. Instead of her bashfulness stopping her words, it was her new resolve that decided her choice of words needed changing. 

"No. I _can!"_  

"Can what?" Scarlet suddenly asked. 

Funny enough, Morgan was back to smiling nervously. 

"Oh! Uh..." Morgan shakes off the stumbles from her tongue. "I meant I can! I can summon my creatures to my will." 

Noticing the conjurer's new found resolve, Scarlet grins with confidence. Soon, Adrian also caught onto Scarlet's fire of duty. To have just transferred to Ravenwood so recently and be given a quest, Adrian was lackadaisical, if not discouraged by the undead, to follow into order. 

 _Shame on you, Kensington_ , he thought to himself. _The next Earl shouldn't be so disregarding of morals._  

Already seeing Scarlet and Morgan weave their mana into the fold as a sign of unity, Adrian took his left hand and firmly held it to the air close to his face. The fingers clawed out as the hand started to tremble. Chimes of cracking ice and ringing magic radiated from it as Adrian willed Ice magic to his will within his bare hand. 

"I won't back down," the thaumaturge bites his lip. "Not now." 

Watching him muster himself, Scarlet started to feel her flames of influence catch on quickly, and looked to the last member of the quartet. 

"No more playing around, huh?" Nicole's childish voice chimed in. 

The necromancer was leaning to a side with her hips locked in the same way, while she was eating her bag of chocolate humongofrogs like a basket of popcorn. Seeing her dormmates together, Nicole thought she might as well. And so the plastic bag of sweets was tossed aside, chocolate frogs spilled carelessly onto the floor, as Nicole stepped forward with a saucy saunter. Fingers tipped her hat up to show Nicole's new, ominous smirk. She reaches her hand into her robes to pull out a card; a piece of printed antiquity which glowed ghastly green along the cracked with-worn edges, anda Death rune was sewn onto the back. Like a coin, the card flips up into the air, returning into Nicole's palm as a dark wooden staff; crooked yet smooth, with the top curved 'round and 'round into a spiral, like the tail of Nicole's witches' cap. 

"I'll bite," the necromancer grins, baring an unforeseen fang. 

"Hmph," Scarlet sounds. "Nice. Oh... and uh..." 

Scarlet points to the floor. 

"Pick the candy up," Scarlet tells Nicole. "We don't watch chocolate melting on the floor, dumbass." 

"Oops," Nicole laughs. 

Nic goes to clean up her mess and quickly returns. 

"So it's settled," Scarlet confirms. "We're in this together." 

"Yes!" 

"Yeah." 

"Yep!" 

"So what do you say?" Scarlet continues. "Let's report to the Headmaster and show him how good the Violet Nightingale House is! Together, we're the Nightingale Girls!" 

Everyone cheered with a "Yea!" in response, until everyone started to slowly shift their eyes to Adrian. He himself was caught off guard, his smile slowly faltering. 

"Wh-What?" He stammered. 

Scarlet's eyes blinks left and right in a brief period of clumsiness. 

"Right," she sounds. 

And so the pyromancer corrected herself, declaring the unity of her dormmates, and friends. 

"The Nightingale Girls... and Guy!" 


	2. A Plan for Unicorn Way

Scarlet's eyes kept its attention to the letter as she and her friends came out of the tunnel, continuing on through the quiet Commons in the morning.

"Left." Nicole directed.

The red-clothed girl sidestepped to the left, avoiding a bypasser as she kept reading, careful to not miss a detail.

"Left." Nicole repeated.

Morgan and Adrian stepped back to let Scarlet shift to the left.

Morgan stretched her neck over Scarlet's shoulder, walking gracefully on her tip-toes. "Anything else, Scarlet?"

She simply hummed in response, still reading over the parchment. "No."

She folded up the letter and handed it to Adrian, which he clumsily let it float around his arms, until he caught it with his lips. Morgan slightly giggled to herself, careful not to let the others hear her, especially Nicole, or she would laugh loudly along. Speaking of Nicole, she looked over to her necromancer friend, seeing that Nicole was whistling and walking with a bounce in the step, not really getting the weight of the situation. The four's feet led them through the door of the Headmaster's house-slash-office. Scarlet goes up to knock, and a voice of an old man answers.

"It's unlocked! Come in! Come in!"

Instead of an orderly workspace, the four young wizards come into the house to found a blue, starry hat moving around a wall of white papers.

"Uuuhh…" Scarlet's knuckles batted the door for the headmaster. "Mister Ambrose?"

The blue hat stopped in place. It turned and twisted frantically, and then the wall of papers collapsed, revealing an old, bearded mage with a nicely trimmed, but curled, white beard, and a monocle replacing his right eye.

"Oh dear," the aged wizard complained. "A-Ah, yes. The girls of the Violet Nightingale House. Please, come in, come in."

As they stepped in, Nicole jumped up and raised her hand. "Ooh! Pick me! Pick me!"

The Headmaster, Merle Ambrose, seemed confuzzled. He looked around, then points at Nicole with uncertainty. "Yes, young wizard?"

Nicole jumps like a chippered chipmunk as she gets called on. "Girls and _boy_ of the Violet Nightingale House!"

She points to her silver-haired friend, Adrian.

"See?"

"Aha, my apologies, young wizard," Ambrose chuckled.

The old man then catches a cascading paper, and tossed it aside.

"Ah yes, the Pigswick transfer student who was forced to be placed in the girls' dormitory. I am terribly sorry, but it was all we could do."

Adrian looked the other way and shrugged. "I don't really get why they separate girls and guys but oh well."

Merle Ambrose stared at the boy out of intrigue, only to have his watch of him blocked out by Nicole's rear.

"Ooh! Ooh! Adrian! You went to Pigswick?" Nicole's eyes were all on Adrian's, which made him a bit creeped out. His friends also turned to him for his reason.

Ambrose stroked his beard. "Ah yes, why did you transfer? I have never heard from Mister Lincoln about it."

Adrian's head switched from left to right to forward, then his hand went behind his neck as he forced a laugh.

"Eheh, well Pigswick's magics are too… 'domestic' for me. I wanted to learn more about combative magic, and that's when I found out about Ravenwood."

Morgan twitched at her fingers for the right words. "G-Glad you chose Ravenwood over Pigswick, Adrian."

He gave Morgan a smile. "Oh, thanks!"

Morgan smiled back with hope, only to lose it when Scarlet smirked over her shoulder at Morgan, while Nicole blushed and smiled creepily, excited for the growth of a potential love story. Luckily, Ambrose interrupted them.

"You took the words right out of my mouth, Morgan-" His words stopped as he was about to add more to her name, then he simply shook it off. "Anywho, I trust you lot know the reason of this meeting."

Scarlet's fingers went for the letter in Adrian's hand, then brings it up to the Headmaster.

"Yes, the Unicorn Way problem. But sir, if I may ask."

"Go ahead, young wizard. I'm sorry, what is your name? You three have similar hair, so it is indeed hard to tell apart."

"I-I'm Scarlet Night, sir. We've met before? Anyways, why us? Why should we go to Unicorn Way? It's very dangerous there as you yourself said."

Merle adjusted his monocle and fiddled with his staff. "Ah well, all the other higher ranking wizards have important… um, affairs at other parts of Wizard City. As you know, if the Death School fell out of sight, then something is afoot in this world. So many other wizards are sent to handle these incidents."

Scarlet huffed. "Excuse me sir, but still, to send novices to a dangerous street…"

"Scarlet-dear; you, and your friends are the strongest among the novices."

She remained silent, and then Morgan spoke up. "Mister Ambrose, sir! Adrian has only been here for three days. He has only started his introductions to his classes. Why him as well?"

Adrian blinked at her concern, then to Ambrose again.

The eldered man placed a hand on Morgan's shoulder. "It is good that you worry about your fellow wizard, Morgan. But among all of you, Adrian is the strongest."

"E-Eh?" Adrian stammered, not wanting attention.

"Yes… He has learned and advanced a lot in his studies at Pigswick. From his reports, he has even made his own magics. Elemental polymorph, self-transmutation, magic fusion, mana infusion, a skillset relying on his rather high metabolism and pure elemental magic…Even starting to learn necromancy… Fascinating."

Adrian's friends gaped at him, making him wave his hand in awkwardness. "Uh, h-hi." He looked around nervously then raised a finger. "Headmaster, those techniques… I developed.. uh… it's very risky and straining on me, so to sum it up, I am still only a low level wizard… equivalent to my friends…"

Ambrose gave him a look of concern. "I see… Then I'll calculate it again… The survival rate of you young wizards is now… forty percent."

The girls' eyes widened at the astonishing outcome, except for Nicole. She jumps with joy. "Oooh! Ooh! So lower chances for survival, more fun!"

Then all of the people in the room turned to Nicole, who was bathing herself in eager anticipation.

Scarlet mumbled quietly to Morgan. "I can see why she's a necromancer…"

The headmaster waved for the students' attention. "Do not fret, young wizards. Take these." He handed out runes, the size of biscuits, to the novices. "These are teleportation units. If you are ever in danger, these will take you back to the safety of the Commons. However, these are the last set, so be wise in using these."

Her throat swallowed her fear as Scarlet reluctantly took one of the runes. "C-Consider the quest done, sir."

Nicole and Morgan looked at each other then followed her example, followed by Adrian. Merle tried to make an ensuring grin for his students.

"Do not worry, young ones. You will indeed make it." He hands a letter with a wax seal to Scarlet. "Please deliver this letter to Private Stillson. He will let you through."

Morgan hesitantly tried her voice. "Sir, we heard of Unicorn Way, b-but we don't know the directions to the street."

Ambrose patted Morgan's mantle, and casts a yellow spell on the ground, making a hovering golden arrow. "You can use the yellow quest helper spell to guide you there." He hands a bronze spell card to Morgan.

"As a token of my thanks and good luck."

Morgan blinked at the card as she let it fall in her hand. Quickly, she slipped it into her spellbook.

"Thank you, Headmaster Ambrose."

The old man nodded his head as the four set off and out the door. As Adrian took a step out, he felt a force tug at his family crested cape. He turned to see Ambrose holding at his cape, still in his original position, with a telekinesis spell. He curled his finger at Adrian and sure enough, he stepped back to the Headmaster. Merle pulled up his tunic, revealing his abdomen. It was tattooed- no. It was branded with runes and transmutation circles on his left side.

"This," Ambrose marvels, "Where did you learn these?"

Adrian gave him a half-hostile look. "I developed these for myself. And what do you mean 'where did I learn it?'"

Ambrose returned the glare. "These are of forbidden magics. A lunar therianthropy circle and an ancient human transmutation circle. It is no wonder you can polymorph without using astral spells."

"Astral… spells?"

"I tell you, Adrian Faulkner Kensington, do not use these, for the sake of your life and mind."

Adrian shot him a bitter look. "I made and invented these diagrams, for power. You don't need to tell me what I can't and can do. Can an inventor not use his own creations?"

"You rediscovered these magics. I already lost a student to the dangers of powerlust. Do not let it happen to you."

He swiped the Headmaster's hand away from his side and put down his shirt. "I am doing this to fulfill my convictions. I am not letting you get in the way of my fight. This is Marleybone's affairs-"

He stops himself, but Merle has heard enough.

"I see. Then I pray that you do not fall to darkness."

Adrian regarded Ambrose's concerned eyes, and then managed a smile.

"Don't worry." He turns his watch to out the door, watching his friends walk away. "I also want get stronger to protect my friends."

"These first friends I've ever had."


	3. A New Comrade

"NONE SHALL PASS! UNICORN WAY IS OFF LIMITS! THERE ARE GHOSTS EVERYWHERE!"

After a few seconds, Scarlet's fingers finally unplugged out of her ear.

"Well, isn't he loud?"

She rolls her eyes and stops in front of the guard and the Unicorn Way tunnel entrance. "Private Stillson, am I wrong?"

The guard eyes the blonde girl, only to goggle at a wax-sealed letter all cross-eyed at the next second.

Stillson straightens his back. "Seems legit. I'll let you through. Mind the ghosts."

He inserts his spear into a strange hole next to the tunnel entrance, and the gate lifts open. As he pulls the spear tip out, it leaves a glittering trail.

Morgan notices the sparkles and speaks up. "The spear… a magic key?"

The guard blinks at Morgan, but his face is kept straight. "Professor Drake is it? I'll make note to him of your precise eyes…"

His words waver, waiting for her name.

"It's Morgan… sir. Morgan Mistblade: novice conjurer."

"Alright then," the guard confirms. "Off you wizards go. To think the Headmaster is desperate to send novices to this street… Then again, we're only privates…"

His head stoops low and Morgan can't help but notice. "Sir… Are you alright?"

The guard lets go of his vigilant stance. "My daughter lives on this street… surrounded by skeletal pirates. I heard rumors that her house was broken into, yet, I have to stand this post. I said I'll be coming back, but it has been weeks. She only has me, you know?"

Morg lays her sympathetic, blue eyes on the guard. "We'll be sure to check if she's okay."

The guard smiles with relief. "Connie lives 3 blocks down the north street of Unicorn Way, in a red and yellow roofed house."

"Connie is it?" Scarlet asked. "She'll be fine. Don't worry."

Nicole giggles in the dark, really ruining the tense air, then watches the lamps hung on the stone-laden walls of the tunnels. Soon, the four reaches sunlight. Everything seems fine. Everything was sunny and butterflies floated around the brushes and flowers. Their steps were on tan cobblestones that were laid out on a large, circular cul-de-sac. On their right was a unicorn man with a sharp-pointed sabre.

Morgan watches the half-creature. He was like Teacher Moolinda or Mister Lincoln, only half-unicorn. "That person, he must be the duelmaster, Diego. Aaand that behind him must be the Arena-"

"Come on, Morg!" Scarlet slapped her back. "Not the time for sightseeing!"

Morgan rubs her back and slides aside her blonde hair out of the way. "Owowow…. O-Okay. You didn't have to hit so hard…"

The four walked passed by a theurgist, who seemed busy in his own thing, and past an old woman, half-frightened as she passed by with some laundry. The young wizards find their selves on the sidewalk of another cul-de-sac, to see ghosts. Off in the opposite side of the street, a guard approached a ghost, attempting to pierce its ghostly white clothes, but it was no good. Agitated, the ghost rushed through the guard, making him pass out.

"Oookay, so don't let the curtains go through you." Nicole gaped. "Got it."

Scarlet carefully stepped up to the crowd of ghosts and pulled out her wand. The spirits notices her and they seem to take a defensive stance. Immediately, a ghost darts toward her and Scarlet's arm wave around angrily, drawing a fire rune with her wand.

"Fire spell: Will of the Wisp!"

The rune bursts into a bunch of embers, scattering and focusing on the ghost, deflecting the soul off its course in a hot gust of embers, and soon disintegrates it into white smoke. She turns to her friends.

"See? I guess it shouldn't be so hard after all-"

"Watch out, you idiot!"

Adrian disappears from his friends, speeding up to Scarlet's side and his wand glows. Quickly, he swipes the baton up, and a wall of dense cold air and snow follows. The ghosts sped into the shield and bounced off. They shook their heads out of the stars and retreated to their pack.

"Fast…" Scarlet stood wide eyed behind her thaumaturgic friend. "Adrian, how did you-"

Her words came to a halt as Nicole jumped overhead.

"COME GET SOME, SUCKAAAS!"

Her arms twirled a wooden staff above her as she was airborne.

"Soul Weaving: Ghouls!"

As she lands, she slams the bottom of her staff into the pavement, crackling the street around her. Hands burst out of the ground and rotted men in torn, but fine, dirtied suits, dug out through the cobblestone as if it was fragile cookies. The zombies readied themselves with spades as their bodies were refilled with youthful life, and charged toward the lost souls. The kept swiping at the floating white sheets away, until the spirits floated into non-existence. However, it was only four undead versus a hovering mob of ghosts. It wasn't long until they we're consumed by the spirits.

"Finnian! Preston!" Nicole reached helplessly for her zombies.

 _Eh? She named them?_ Scarlet thought.

A bit aggravated, Nicole swiped her staff and spun it. A death rune drew itself in front of her and a swarm of fifteen or so dark sprites appeared in violet sparkle dust. She twirled her scepter and it froze in place as she pointed it at the ghosts.

"Super Sprite Squad! Goooo!"

At her command, the sprites darted around individual ghosts, making them dizzy and their forms faded a bit.

Taking advantage of the situation, Adrian slipped his wand into his sleeve and his hands began to glow with an azure aura. He hastens to the dazed ghosts, swiping at them from a short distance, then a torrent of ice and snow followed his hand movements. With each strike, Adrian let out a fighting sound, like he was battling in hand-to-hand combat, something a wizard wouldn't do.

Scarlet watched Adrian's movements intently. "Is he… really a wizard?"

As Nicole and Adrian paired up to fight the crowd, a murder of ghosts broke off from the group and jetted towards Morgan. She stumbled to take out her wand and drew a myth rune.

"Dream Weaving: Blood Bats!"

She tapped the rune with her wand but it simply fizzles out. Frantically, she keeps waving her baton.

"Bats! Bats! Blood bats!"

The ghost rushed closer to her at a dangerous velocity and Scarlet's wand was raised in Morgan's direction, glowing in a yellow light. "MORGAN!"

Scarlet's spell cast was interrupted as an immense figure appeared from Morgan's wand, landing onto the grass with a large thud. It was burly and muscular. Deformed, its back was hunched, and its skin was pale. Its head was covered in a tattered brown hood, and it wore a torn cloak of the same color. The spirits stopped dead in their tracks in caution as the hunchback let out a tense huff of air.

"Wh-What?" Morgan looked at her creation with half fear and half astonishment, refusing to acknowledge her ability.

The hunchback charged toward the ghosts, its steps cracking the ground. Soon, he changes to running on all fours. The creature swipes at the ghosts furiously and takes one soul by the neck and smashes it into the ground. Nicole and Adrian watched the creature devastate the crowd of ghosts in horror, until Nicole squirmed around and hugged onto Adrian.

"He's so cute!" Nicole squealed.

The last ghost disappeared in the beast's hand, but he wasn't done. There was still one remaining soul, wandering not far away from Morgan, circling near a gazebo in the park. He stampedes in the lone ghost's direction. Morgan then notices something, and then switches to the charging creature.

Morgan called out. "Hunchback! Stop!"

Yet, he does not stop.

"Hunchback! You! Stop!"

She digs around in her mind for the right words.

"Mudge! I tell you, stop!"

The creature ceases to attack, its hand just a step away from the unnoticing soul.

"I can hear it," Morgan breathed.

Her friends joined Morgan, panting as they arrive.

"Morgan!" Scarlet called. "What's going on? Why did he stop? What is that big thing?"

"I can hear it."

Scarlet and the others looked at her weirdly. "What?"

Morgan points at the lone ghost as it moans and wanders in front of the hunchback, mumbling with a girl's voice.

"Lonely…. Dad… It's lonely… Come back…."

The conjurer watches the ghost and slowly stands up, coming closer to the soul. Softly, Morgan calls out to the ghost, "Connie?"

The ghost finally notices Morgan. "Dad?"

Morgan stammers. "N-No?"

The soul of Connie takes a hostile stance. "Dad… What did you do with dad?"

Morgan speaks again, humbling the spirit. "Your father is safe… He's always waiting to come back. Don't worry, come with me. I can take you to him…"

Connie approaches Morgan cautiously as Morgan pulls out a flask. The ghost reaches out for Morgan's hand and is sucked into a wisp in her palm. Gently, Morgan guides the wisp into the flask and screws it shut with a cork. She then turns to her friends.

"Guys… Her soul and body are still connected by her spirit. She can still become alive again."

Scarlet's hands wrap around the flask as she takes it up to her eyes.

"Then, her body must be at the house Private Stillson mentioned."

Morgan nods in agreement, but is surprised as the hunchback pokes at her. Scarlet and Adrian's eyes widen at the large figure, but the hunchback's attention stuck on Morgan.

"You, girl. You summoned me. You gave me a name… What was it?"

Morgan's blue eyes calmed and she tries to remember. "M-Mudge."

"Mudge…" the hunchback repeated.

"Have you… Do you have a name?" Morgan asks.

The hunchback looked down at her clothes then to her wand, and back at her face.

"I was nameless. My previous masters only referred to me as hunchback, or beast, or thing."

"Your previous masters? Where are they now?"

The hunchback stared down Morgan with a grim look.

"Dead. They refuse to acknowledge me, and so I refuse to acknowledge them."

Morgan's eyes shook at Mudge's words of death, and the hunchback became irked.

"And are you also scared of me?"

Instead of saying anything, she wrapped her embrace around one of Mudge's arms, hugging onto him with warmth.

"Mudge… Even if they did call you things you didn't like, you can't kill those that don't deserve it."

The hunchback was dumbfounded by Morgan's surprising reaction, along with her friends, except for Nicole, who just went, "D'aaaaw!"

Mudge froze still as Morgan hugged onto him. In return, he awkwardly pats on her head.

"Then I will do so as you wish… And I will protect you until the end, because you acknowledged me."

"No," Morgan mumbled.

The hunchback raised a brow. "No?"

She unburies her face from Mudge's burly arm and looks up to him. "No, I don't acknowledge you. You are my friend. And as you take care and protect me, I will do the same."

Mudge stayed silent, astonished at her words. Finally he spoke.

"Thank you… my lady."


	4. Fairies Wear Boots

"You, the silver-haired kid."

Adrian looks around then answers Mudge nervously. "Eh? Me?"

"Yes… you." The hunchback approaches the wizard, meeting him face to face. "….Your voice. It is higher than other human males. It is new to me."

"Now that you mention it~" Scarlet puts a finger under Adrian's chin, lifting his head up to take a look at the crook of his neck. "His voice is higher than the others."

"Eheh… Yeah, a low tenor to countertenor. " Adrian rubs his neck. "I can also sound like a girl if I try."

Nicole pounces on Adrian, hugging onto his neck lovingly. "Oooh! Oooh! Do me!"

Adrian stumbles around for a bit, trying to pry on Nicole's arms. After unclamping his throat free of her tightness, he begins to speak in a near-perfect voice of Nicole. "Hiya! I'm Nicole! I like pastries and ice cream! Uuuuh, Scarlet's panties!"

Crimson blood streams from Scarlet's nose as she pulls up a sleeve. "WHAT?"

Nicole hugs onto Adrian tighter, only to make Morgan's arms raise for Adrian, as Nicole squeals with delight with a bright smile.

"That's right! I stole Scarly's panties! But how'dja know, Adrian? Are you a wizard? Oh wait, we are wizards!"

She continues to laugh while Scarlet's anger slowly faded into a questioning demeanor, but her blush still burned brightly.

"I… what?" Scarlet's hand seemed to speak for her questions, while Morgan rushed up to the necromancer and thaumaturge.

"Nicole! You're choking Adrie!"

"Mer…cy-" were the only words Adrian managed to squeeze out before Nicole noticed her folly.

"Ooops! Sorreee!"

She lets go of him, leaving Adrian to cough and wheeze as he falls on his knees. Morgan rushes to his side, supporting him up and pounds on his back, enough to make Adrian recover from his coughing fit. Mudge kept watching the little show, his mind meandering in questions like, "Why do humans exist," or, "Am I missing out on something?" He simply shakes his head.

"Fools, these humans. But… amusing," Mudge said in his gruff, low, but ethereal voice.

Morgan smiles along with Mudge, only to stop and light a blazing blush on her face as Adrian lays over her lap. She hesitantly pats on his back while she looks up to Mudge.

"Hey Mudge~"

The hunchback raises a brow then answers, "Yes, my lady?"

"Uuuh, what are you? Sorry to be rude."

Mudge held back a sneer, but understood quickly after. "I am a sloth-type demon: a behemoth."

Morgan grins gently to Mudge as she caresses a passed-out Adrian. "I thought you were a demon… Those pointed ears are cute."

Mudge steps back in surprise the looks the other way bashfully.

"By the way, Mudge. Aren't you.. uh… going to disappear? The battle is over."

The demon shook his head.

"I am your familiar. I stay by your side. There is only one of each familiar in existence, each unique to their masters. Therefore, I, the nameless behemoth, the Hunchback of Poultre Dame, the Troll Under the Bridge, is at your service."

Morgan's cobalt eyes marvel at the familiar names of the behemoth. "Then… how did I summon you?"

"I am you."

The four wizards looked at each other, puzzled, except for Adrian, who still was passed out, silently mumbling, "Grapes…."

Mudge's burly fingers scratched behind his pale, pointed ears. "My spirit exists in the sad stories of conjurers who knew what it was like to be isolated, to be ignored, to feel like a speck in the world."

Morgan kept quiet, looking down to the grass, past the strands Adrian's long, white and silver hair. Scarlet thought about what the behemoth had just said, while Nicole took a lollipop out of her robe-covered bosom, unwrapping it and popping the candy into her mouth.

"Yummy!"

The silence kept on, until it was broken by a boy's voice. The wizards looked towards the pavillion, to see the wizard from earlier, a theurgist laden in green garments and a knotted wooden staff. He waved at the wizards, calling them out until he reached the four and the hunchback.

"You guys… you bested those ghosts like no other!" he said.

Scarlet looked to Nic, then Morgan, then back at the wizard of life. "And you are…"

"Oh! Where are my manners. Ceren Nightchant; initiate theurgist. Were you sent to assist me with the Unicorn Way incident? You're journeymen wizards, right?"

"Uh… We didn't receive word about another wizard… And uh…" Scarlet took off her hat to itch into her hair.

"We're novices."

She points at herself, then to Nicole, Morgan, and her finger slowed awkwardly to the passed-out Adrian.

"Yeah. We're of the girls of the Violet Nightingale House. I'm Scarlet Night, pyromancer. That's Nicole Soulthief, necromancer. Morgan Mistblade, conjurer. And uh, Adrian Kensington, thaumaturge."

"Huh… Novices…" Ceren blinks at Adrian with a sliver of jealousy in his heart.

"So that's the new boy who was placed in the Girls' Dormitory."

Adrian instantly wakes up, brushing his head up against Morgan's rather large breasts, making her blush harder by the second.

"Huh? Wha? Grapes?" Adrian swipes his head around, then rests his chin on Morgan's lap, sighing. He then suddenly points to Nicole.

"You're pure evil."

Nicole giggles with delight and patted his head. "Sorree."

Ceren's jealousy for Adrian grows bigger as well as the perverted thoughts of the possibilities of being surrounded by girls. Blood starts to drip from his nose but he quickly swipes it away.

"A-Anyway, you guys need to help me." Ceren requests.

Scarlet and the others glances at each other, then back at Ceren.

"With what?" Scarlet asks.

"The fairies. Professor Moolinda Wu sent me here to see if the Fairies are true. The guards won't allow me to go out any further, but they haven't stopped you yet."

He points toward and down the street.

"Would you check for me? Just walk down Unicorn Way and see if you can find any Fairies. If they attack, you'd best know how to defend yourself."

Scarlet itches at her cheek. "I guess, if that's part of the Unicorn Way problem… We just cleared out the ghosts so the path should be safe."

Ceren smiles cheekily. "Skeletal pirates."

"Wh-What now?"

"There are skeletal pirates down there."

Her cheek twitches and nods her head as she makes a totally genial smile- NOPE, HER HAND TOTALLY ABLAZES IN FIRE AS SHE HOLDS IT UP TO CEREN'S FACE WITH A SINISTER, PYROMANIACAL GRIN.

"WHADDYA MEAN SKELETAL PIRATES YOU HALF-WIT COWARD."

Ceren squeaks and backs like eight miles away. "I'm sorry, it's the truth!"

Scarlet's twitching eyebrows calms down and she pats her hands as sighs heavily.

"Welp, we have skeletal pirates to worry about."

She turns to her three- Now four friends.

"Well, any ideas guys? Morg? Mudge?"

"Oooh! Oooh!" Nicole bounces up and down, holding up some white pieces of cloth, like blankets.

"We can disguise ourselves as ghosts!"

Adrian, Morgan, Scarlet, even Mudge looked at each other, amazed at Nicole's childish idea.

Nicole simply pouts. "What? It's a good idea!"


	5. A Ripple in a Calm Pond

"I can't. Believe."

Scarlet's face showed her grumpy, broken pride as she followed behind Nicole, hiding under a white ghost disguise.

"Believe it!" Nicole giggled.

"I can't tell who's who," Adrian simply stated.

"Does Mudge even look the part? His legs are showing!" Morgan hissed.

"I think am going to sneeze," Mudge grunted.

Scarlet glances anxiously to the left, watching the skeletal pirates march by, muttering piratey nonsense to each other. She thought to herself, iamsodead, iamsodead, iamsodead, iamsodead.

He begins to breathe heavily, but Mudge manages to suppress the sneeze, as Morgan stops looking behind her and sighs, grabbing onto her pale cloak with nervousness. Pirates were scattered all around them, either patrolling on the cobblestone streets, grunting to each other, punching at each other's fail singing, or drinking yum, only to just have the purple drink spill out of their ribcage.

"It's like the only useful they can do is swing a sword," Scarlet said under her breath.

Shaking her head, Morgan disapproves of their poor work habits. "Well, it's a miracle this plan is even working." Her white cloak goes up in flames. "Or not."

Pretty soon, all of the other cloaks burns up to a crisp, except for Adrian, who took it off himself instead. Morgan looks up (Nonono, above his butt) to see Adrian holding something, like he caught it out of mid-air. He held a small, dark fire ball in his frost-encased hands, squeezing it and smothering it of its flames. The friends turn to spot a fairy, clothed in dark tunics, jet violet short skirts, spiky ponytails, and thigh-high boots of matching hues. But in the end, they we're all at least a foot and half in height, comparable to an overly overgrown potato. :3 One dark fairy held a small fireball in her hand, dispelling it as she giggled mischievously.

She smiled and spoke in a squeaky, high voice. It could have sounded like a nice morning with birds, but instead, it was made into thieving rat's voice.

"So wizards have come to stop our fun, eh?"

"You can't take us back to Lady Oriel and ruin our playtime~" another one piped up.

tipped up her hat, revealing a confident smirk. "Now that you mention it, I haven't had my fill of fun either!"

Mudge observed over the situation, looking a bit agitated, and then turned tail. "I'm going back." His figure begins to glow.

"Mudge!" Morgan grabbed at the demon's ragged cloaks. "What ever happened to protecting me?"

The hunchback kept quiet and his figure glows brighter.  
"Mudge!"

A million thoughts of refusal, confusement, double-crossing, and sorrow brewed in her mind while her grip on the hunchback grew tighter.

"A servant shouldn't deprive his master of a good teaching."

"But you were barely with me!"

The behemoth's kept quiet for a bit longer. "….. I am a sloth type demon after all…." He finally faded in a soft flash. "Friend…."

Morgan glared at the sparkle dust left behind by the flash in disbelief.

"Some friend he was," Scarlet remarked.

After a brief pause, Morgan bit her lip and sort of bumped Scarlet aside as she raised her wand.

"You're wrong, Night."

A myth rune drew itself in the air as her lips recited the spell. "Dream Weaving: Bloodstorm!"

The rune erupted violently as a murder of blood-veiled crows flew out of the jaunite sparks of myth. The black, crimson-soaked birds tore at the fairies, making them let out tiny bloodcurdling cries of pain, until they bursted into purple sparkle dust. Scarlet watched in dread, staring at the sparkling, terrible display of what would be gore, replaced by bloody birds and a pre-school tantrum fest with purple glitter and dust.

"Scary…" Nicole squeaked.

"What kind of spell…." Adrian was also staring at Morgan's creation, but kept calm.

"I've never seen… She must've made this spell." He also notices beads of sweat gliding down her skin and face, and her cheeks were pale.

"She using too much mana." Adrian said to himself. He stepped up to Morgan's side and lowered her wand, stopping her spell.

"Adrie… Adrian? What are you doing?" Morgan stammered.

He stared her down with unreadable eyes. "Continue anymore of that and you'll die, and that won't be the worst."

With a whip of his arm, the remaining fairies became covered in frost. His hand was still raised as a death rune glowed in his palm. Slowly, the dark fairies' forms disintegrated into dark purple dust, as their magical essences flowed into his hand.

Morgan looked up to her silver haired friend in confusion.

"Adrian…"

Her words slur as she falls into his arms. Adrian lets out an exasperated sigh as he takes the fairies' mana and implants it within Morgan.

"A spell powered by hatred…. A terrifying thought indeed," Adrian thought aloud.

"Ha-tred?" Nicole asks anxiously.

He nodded as he kept observing Morgan in his arms, then he turned an unreadable glare to Scarlet.

amber eyes widened in surprise. "I-I didn't say anything to her!"

"Did you not hear Mudge's words?" Adrian's ice blue eyes grew colder to match his magics of thaumaturgic necromancy; cold death.

"What did that have to do with anything? Besides, the beast ran away!" Scarlet stammered.

'I am you' were the words Mudge said to Morg. Mudge knew what it was like to be rejected, to be isolated, to be alone. Most likely, Morgan felt the same too. Didn't you see the look on Mudge when he was called 'friend' for the first time?"

"Wh- …."

Scarlet paused in fear.

"Some friend he was," she repeated in realization.

"Scarlet…" Adrian's eyes were still intense, but his voice was gentle. "You should know that Morgan is caring as she is sensitive. Even I know that, despite being only three days."

Nicole finally grasped the weight of the situation, realizing it and losing her bubbly personality. "Morgan wouldn't have forgiven Scarlet if Mudge had heard her…"

Her lips bunched into each other as Scarlet held in her voice. She realized her folly with regret.

"Tch," Scarlet spat.

She was unable to acknowledge her mistake, grinding the sole of her boots, eroding away the sidewalk.

Adrian said no more, afraid to hurt Scarlet's feelings. The three kept hushed in the tense air. Nicole's finger traced at the ground while Scarlet's hand weakly bent at her wand. The silence kept on until a tiny war cry sounded. A dark fairy charged for the back of Adrian's neck with her miniature knife, but it was no use. Adrian's free hand swiped at the fairy, catching her with a fierce grip. The dark sprite was squished in his intense grasp, but she still had the strength to push her upper half out of his fist.

"YOU KILLED MY SISTERS!" the sprite cried as she stabbed Adrian's hand, making it bleed from a multitude of small wounds. The fairy kept at her tantrum until she froze still, meeting eye to eye with Adrian's menacing glare. His other hand let Morgan's head slip to his lap as a finger dipped in a puddle of blood on the hand holding the fairy. With it, he drew a circle on his arm, then sketches delicate writings within it, finishing it off with a tempest rune in the center.

"Yeah, alright. I killed your sisters, and you're next if you don't tell me what's going on in Unicorn Way. Else, you get to die slowly by my blood seal."

Adrian's icy eyes burned deep into the fairy's mind, along with his threatening words, making her break into tears.

"DON'T KILL ME!" she sobbed.

Nicole tried to stop him, but she was too stunned at this menacing side of Adrian.  
Adrian squeezed tighter at the tainted pixie. "Then spit it out. Tell me why Unicorn Way is like this."

"I DON'T KNOOOOOW! LADY ORIEL MUST KNOW!" the small winged girl wailed.

Adrian's finger neared the seal as he smiles. "This is just a purification seal anyways."

He pressed the edge of the scarlet seal and it glowed azure blue.

"And your friends aren't dead."

The fairy reacted to the activation of the purification seal. Violet streaks of darkness stripped off her clothes and her hair turned into a bright blonde. After the transfiguration, the pixie passed out in Adrian's hand.

"I've read something about this," Scarlet commented. "A storm rune to purify magical creatures from corruption, like a storm washes away the dust of the land."

"But that wasn't a storm spell," Nicole added.

"It's tempest magic," Adrian answered. "Erm… Pigswick stuff."

"Even so, that should be too high level of a spell for you to cast," Scarlet argued.

"Mana transfusion," Adrian explained.

"H-Huh?" Nicole pouts at his blood seal. "Is that transfusion thingy another part of your guys' fancy Pigswick magic?"

Adrian slipped the fairy into his waistcoat pocket, then stood up, with Morgan in his arms.

"No, that was my own little creation. But anyways, I think it's time we have a talk with this Lady Oriel."


	6. Stop the Maker

Her heavy eyes struggled open, only to find that her vision was still a bit blurry. By the time things were identifiable, she found herself in some giant's clothes. She was in a silky pocket, and her feet touched giant coins, the size of something she would eat off of.

"So I see you're awake," a voice boomed.

The pixie scrambled to finally peel open her eyes to see a face above her. He seemed familiar. The fairy digged into her hazy memories to recall a pair of ice blue eyes, the same pair this human held.

"Who are you?" the fairy squeaked. "Have you a name?-"

"Oooh! The tiny fairy is awake!" Nicole bounced up to Adrian, grabbing at his tailed coat to watch the fairy up close. Scared, the pixie starts grabbing at Adrian's waistcoat, digging her fingers into the silky, yet sturdy cloth, and climbing up to his clavicles, hugging onto his neck.

"Scary blondie!" the pip-squeak squeaked.

Nicole dropped her smile and waggled a finger to her, kind of also tickling Adrian's neck.

"Well excuse you, you're also blonde!"

Adrian wanted to squirm from the little tickle, but didn't want to crush the fairy by his neck. Instead, he bit his lip and sighed.

"So what's your name, blondie?"

The pixie puffed her cheeks. "Trixie."

He shrugs. "Trixie the Pixie. Why not."

The pixie started to pay more attention to Adrian's familiar ice blue eyes… The silver white hair… Until she came to recall the recent events.

"You… You killed my sisters!"

Adrian rolls his eyes. "I told you, they're not dead. I was able to keep all of their essence dust together. They'll form back soon enough and break out of my ice crystals… like butterflies."

"Don't compare me to those antennaed bugs!" Trixie shrieked.

Scarlet puffs her hair out of the way then comes up to Trixie, eye to eye. "And your beef with them is…"

"Those abominations steal nectar from our flower garden! We need nectar to make ambrosia!"

Nicole stuck the tip of her finger between her lips in thought.

"Isn't ambrosia that god-only stuff?"

"Us pixies also eat it, but we mainly make it for Lady Oriel."

Adrian and Scarlet's eyes widen at the name.

"This Lady Oriel, who is she?" Scarlet asked.

The pixie raised an eyebrow. "Uuuuh, the Lady Oriel? The seraph. Are you stupid?"

A vein popped on Scarlet's forehead as she begins to crack her knuckles, but Adrian stops her with a shake of the head. She just lets out a huff of air.

"So this Lady Oriel, where is she?" Scarlet asked.

Trixie eyes Adrian with uncertainty, which he catches in the corner of his eye.

"Still doubting me, huh?" Adrian questioned.

"Why… Why did you do that to the fairies?"

"They were corrupted, just as you were." Adrian answered.

"Cor.. rupted." She begins to recall a few memories, but shakes them off.

Scarlet clears her throat for Trixie's attention. "Lady Oriel?"

"Oh yeah… She's at the Hedge Maze down the rest of Unicorn Way."

Adrian let his finger glide along Trixie's wings, which made her shiver. "Can you walk? Err, fly?"

The fairy gave her translucent wings a twitch, shaking off a bit of sparkle dust, then nodded, darting off his shoulder and hovering by Scarlet.

Adrian glanced around, then sighed. "Look, we got off to a.. awkward start, so why don't we make up?"

Adrian raised a pinky to Trixie. She eyed the finger with doubt, then goes to shake it with her two hands anyways.

Scarlet's amburnt eyes approached Trixie's closely. "Can you take us to her? The seraph you talked about. We need to talk to her."

"Well, other than being busy," she shrugs on it. "~I don't see a reason not to."

"Great," Scarlet smiled. She stepped back to giving to Adrian and a mana-parched Morgan some room. Morgan was still passed out on his lap.

Trixie noticed her with surprise. "How did I not see her down there?"

His arms went under Morgan's legs and the other slung the conjurer's arm around his neck, then wriggled under her back, and Adrian got up on his knees, then to his feet with Morgan curled up in his arms.

At least she's lighter than I thought." Adrian thought aloud, while Scarlet burned a hole in his head with her eyes.

"Frickin' Romeo wanna-be."  
Even though Adrian didn't understand Scarlet, he was drained of his morale, forcing a smile in gloomy nervousness.

Scarlet hates meee~"

"Well, here we are."

Trixie leaned back to get the full view of the towering walls of Hedge Maze.

She absorbs in a big huff of air. "MELANIE! CHALACE! OPEN THE DOOR! WE HAVE VISITORS!"

immense doors repeated low, loud creaks as they moaned open. The doors came to a stop as the two fairies opening them darted to Trixie. They were both clad in heavy-looking bronze armor and had crossbows strapped to their backs.

Trixie!" one called, "You were gone for three days! Where were you? Where did your uniform go? Where's your platoon?"

"I don't know! According to that marshmallow-haired human, we were corrupted by some dark magic!"

"M-" Adrian pulled his head back. "Marshmallow?"

One of the guard fairies looked over to the white-haired wizard, then to the hat covering Morgan's face as she slept unconscious. She moved her watch to Scarlet's blonde hair, then to Nicole. She notices Nicole's spiral-topped wooden staff, and then squinted suspiciously, but lets the matter go due to the more pressing matters.

The guard fairy spoke. "Normally humans are not allowed in the Hedges, but if those wizards know what's happening to the fairies, I suppose I can let them through."

Trixie scratched her cheek with a short, forced laugh. "Actually, they came to see if Lady Oriel has any idea of what's happening."

The guard fairy rubbed her chin. "Well… if it helps with the restoration of Unicorn Way. I don't know if Lady Oriel knows of what happens or not."

The one of the two guard pixies who has been talking took off her helm, revealing bright blue spiky hair tied up in a ponytail, with a blade scar down her face, then turns to the wizards.

"I am Corporal Chalace. My partner, Private First Class Melanie, will show you to our Lady Oriel, the seraph."

The second fairy removed her bronze helmet as well, letting out her flowing brunette hair. She saluted the wizards with a firm display, while still hovering in mid-air. Melanie then hovered back to give way to the wizards.

"This way, guests," Melanie ordered calmly.

The novices made their through the chapel-worthy doors to gaze upon a grand hedge maze, with fairies buzzing around. Some were in the same bronze armor Chalace and Melanie were in. Others were in militaristic uniforms, and most were in yellow tunics with short skirts and boots, the same Pixie is currently dressed in. In the middle of the mazes, surrounded by the hedges and plants, was a stone-tiled opening. A blonde lady in flowing white clothes was laying on a futon, with a green-gilded sword leaning on the fine seat. The four ventured in a straight line toward the patio. On their left and rights, were entrances to the mazes, which could lead to an endless nightmare of meandering, but the sunny, summer-filled setting of the Hedge Maze convinced otherwise. Their steps (and wings), took them to the maiden. She opened her celestial green eyes, offering the wizards her regarding look. She gently flew out of her futon, with sword in hand, approaching her new guests.

"Oh praise the light! Someone has come at last!" The seraph almost spoke like she was in an opera, which made Scarlet get weirded out.

"I can feel it; traces of darkness on my poor Trixie. Yes, she too was corrupted, and you wizards helped her. If only I knew what has happened…"

The seraph's attention was taken away when she noticed the passed-out Morgan. At first, it seemed like she was going to go all nursey on Morgan, but then she noticed something else.

"That purple dust… it is not like my fairies'." Oriel went on.

Scarlet eyed Morgan with some regret, but shook it off as she explained to the seraph, "Yes, your fairies has been corrupted."

The seraph lets up her sword, disintegrating in the sunbeams like it was her sheath, as Oriel comes close to gather a sample of the purple sparkle dust that was scattered on Morgan's clothes. She looks visibly shaken as the dust sifted through her fingers.

"My fairies, they have been enchanted by something that is undead! What evil lurks on this street that reaves me to hurt my dears?"

"Undead?" Scarlet questioned. "There's like a whole bunch of them out there."

The seraph shook her head. "There must be a more powerful undead wretch that has done this dark deed."

"Hey uh…" Adrian pokes in. "Can you guys help me out with Morgan here? For now, she's running on the corrupt fairies' mana I gave her, but that's going to run out quick. We can't go on without her."

"Oh! My apologies. Yes, quickly."

She raises her hand, and several fairies came to her aid, dressed in white, nurse's outfits. They all worked together to lift Morgan to the futon. It seemed like she was the focus of a levitation spell. As Morgan was taken away, Oriel noticed Adrian's bloodied hands. He saw where Oriel's eyes went and raised it.

"Yeah, might need help with this too."

The seraph paled at the sight of so much blood. "What happened?" she asks, seeing the little stab marks.

"Trixie kinda… stabbed me. A bunch of times. When she was… Evil," Adrian explained hesitantly.

Trixie's eyes widened at the multiple wounds on his hands. "Did I really do that?"

Adrian smiled assuringly. "Wasn't your fault. It's fine."

She was still uncomfortable with Adrian. "You're a lot more nicer than I remember. You were scary… Like, not even kidding."

"I was caught in the heat of the moment," he shrugged. "I don't like being in the heat. I'm a ice wizard after all."

"You," the seraph spoke coldly. "What is that evil magic on your arm?"

observed his own arm, to find the blood seal from earlier. "Evil? This is a tempest purification seal."

"No, it is also a Gur-" The seraph stopped herself before she could spill out anymore.

Scarlet tilted her head. "A what now?"

Oriel gave her a concerned look. "It is better if you do not know-"

Nicole popped out between the two with kazoos and streamers. "IT'S ALSO A GUMMY BEAR SUMMONY SEAL THING!"

"No." Adrian and Scarlet put coldly.

Nicole pulled down her cheeks on them, showing them her eye sockets.

"Nyaaaah. You guys are no fun."

The seraph stared at the trio weirdly.

 _They are all still too young…_ Oriel thought.

She kept watching the three talk and bicker about gummy candies or something, starting to smile, until a nurse fairy presented herself to Lady Oriel.

"Nurse Charmie reporting. The wizard is recovered with full mana and is awake. She will be a bit feverish from the ambrosia-mixed mana milkshake. This will only be for about thirty minutes however."

"Good," the seraph nodded. "Make sure her mana flow is stable."

"Is Morgan okay already?" Nicole blinked at the nurse.

"Ambrosia is a miracle for wizards, but they are still only mortal. They can take in too much without literally burning up. If only she was a half-blood, things would be better."  
"Half-blood? What's the other half?" Nicole asked.

The nurse laughed and smiled. "She is fine, that is all you need to know."

Scarlet and Nicole looked over to find Morgan barely awake and coughing. The two stepped lively for her.

"Morgan!" they both called out.

Nicole made a life rune in her hands, crushing it and letting its green essence take auroraic form around her hands as she ran up to Morgan's side, placing her healing magic over her.

"Oh… Nicole." Morgan managed to smile, and coughed less worse. "Where's Adrian?"

"Your man-crush is over there." Scarlet pointed to the thaumaturge far behind them, as Morgan's cheeks brightened.

He was still talking with Charmie the nurse fairy, until Morgan called out for him. He noticed Morgan and waved bye to the fairy as he ran to the conjurer. As he got closer, she gasped at his bloodied hand.

"What happened?" she gaped.

Adrian laughed gently, "It's just a scratch."

The blue conjurer pouted. "Just a scratch," she scoffed.

"Hate to break the mushy reunion," Scarlet wrapped arms around Adrian and Nicole as they gathered around their awakened friend.

"Glad you're back," Scarlet grinned.

The myth wizard blushes brighter and made a soft smile. "Sorry for being a lot of trouble. Who brought me here anyways?"

Scarlet smirks and pointed back to Adrian with a thumb. "He said you were surprisingly light."

Morgan held her breath and looked the other way, while Nicole and Scarlet giggled mischievously to each other and Adrian was there confused.

"Young wizards," Lady Oriel called out.

The novice mages gave their attention to the seraph.

Lady Oriel crossed her arms as she prepared to brief the situation. "From what we know, some form of undead is corrupting my fairies. I do not know who, but most likely, this dark figure is behind the troubles of Unicorn Way. Do you know possibly who is it or who would know of it?"

The wizards shook their heads, until Nicole piped up. "Maybe we can ask that Ceren-perv!"

Morgan let her fist fall into her hand in an idea. "Yeah, he might know who it is."

With her hands, the dream weaver summoned a glass ball.

"Luckily, I already remembered his mana signature."

Ceren's image shimmered into view. He was chewing on a salad while looking into a pair of binoculars.

"Hey, life pervert,." Scarlet called out.

The theurgist spat out his veggies and dropped the binoculars.

"Wh-Who's there?"

"Ey, uh," Scarlet started to speak. "We're talking to you via telesphere. You're hearing us through your mind. I think."

Scarlet glanced to Morgan to see if she was correct.

"That's right," Morgan smiled.

He wiped his mouth. "It's those Nightingale girls, right?"

"And guy!" Nicole popped in.

"What's the point even?" Adrian said.

"We're at the Hedge Maze. It turns out the fairies were getting corrupted," Scarlet reported.

"So the rumours are true…" Ceren green eyes trembled with worry.

Scarlet blinked at him. "Anyways, some kind of powerful undead thing is enchanting the fairies. Do you know who could've done this?"

Ceren thought intently on it. "Hmm…I've been here since I was young, so I know the street well. It could be Lady Blackhope, but she has not ever tried to enchant the fairies."

Trixie spoke up to the crystal ball. "I remember bones clacking around before I fell out of my normal consciousness."

Ceren popped out of his thought bubble. "Was that a fairy? You said bones?"

He pouted on it more, muttering "undead" and "skeletons", until he came to a conclusion.

"Who else? Could it be? A skeleton! It has to be Rattlebones!"

Scarlet raises a brow. "Rattle-what?"

"Rattlebones?" Oriel asked. "If it was him, then he must've been empowered by another dark force if he is to challenge Unicorn Way."

Ceren nodded into his salad, then spoke with a stuffed mouth. "The wretched slaglicker took over my old friend Delia's tower. Go find him there. I'll try and meet up with you guys there. If you can reach me by telesphere, then whoever cast it can find the way to the tower with my mana resonance."

He quickly gobbled up his salad then stuffed a pizza in his mouth. With haste and paste, he packed his belongings into his magical backpack, which then was dispelled back into his spellbook. Ceren darted out of his bushy hiding place and the telesphere transmission was cut out into static. With a tap, the crystal ball dissolved by Morgan's fingers.

"So Delia's tower," Scarlet repeated. "Morgan, are you able to track his mana-whatever?"

She shook her head. "They don't teach us that until we're initiates."

Adrian spoke up, "Well, I can. But I can't because I don't know his mana signature."

Morgan coughed a bit before speaking. "Can you show me how?"

Adrian took her hands, leading to Morgan blushing madly like pink roses.

"Close your eyes, Morgan."

She did as she was told while she felt his knowledge-filled mana stream into her hands through his fingers.

"Now, imagine a multitude of things that represents each individual soul," Adrian instructed.

She squinted her eyes tight, visualizing cherry blossom petals. As they cascade, a few petals were colored differently with things that represented their souls. Scarlet's was lit on fire, but it didn't burn. Nicole's was green, purple, and grey. It was jittery and flew around erratically. Adrian's petal was a shade of grey covered in frost with blue, cold electricity sparking around it. She looked for Ceren's. A sense of his mana touched her. She twisted around gracefully and grabbed at a stray petal. Morgan opened her hands to see a perfectly pink petal blossom with the wooden stem and leaves still connected to it.

Her eyes flew open and she saw a trail of Ceren's petals leading out of the maze. She also felt his mana.

"East. He's located on our east. I can follow him!"

Adrian smiled proudly and let go of her hands. "Great job."

Morgan smiled hopefully at her thaumaturgic friend.

Scarlet tugged at Lady Oriel's garments. "But is she ready to travel any further?"

"I'll just be coughing for a while," Morgan assured her pyromantic teammate.

"Ooh! Ooh! So that means we can go!" Nicole jumped around chipperly.

"But before you go…." Lady Oriel said. "The scout legion fairies have reports of fairies trapped in cages of bones. If you can, please, release them."

Scarlet smirked confidently and punched the seraph playfully on the shoulder, which made the other fairies gasp.

"Don't worry, big sis. We won't let a single one get taken away!"

"That's right," Adrian stepped up. "I fight against oppression and corruption. I'd go back on my word if we don't free them."

"And then when they're free, we can have a party!" Nicole hopped around as she spoke.

"Uh…" Morgan looked around nervously, but shot up her fist. "Yeah!"

Surprised, Adrian followed Morgan's unexpected example, calmly raising his fist. Nicole also leaped up with a fist in air, and Scarlet punched the sky with a strong fist.

"Come guys~" Morgan grinned.

The conjurer was first to dash for the Hedge Maze doors, and her friends followed behind. The seraph watched them go; smiling as she rubbed her slightly bruised shoulder.

"They are daring children, alright." Lady Oriel remarked. "Time will see if the Spiral falls in their hands."


	7. Join the Club

"Well… We forgot about those guys."

"Totally did."

"How are we going to deal with them?"

The four watched the crowd of skeletal pirates marching or taking guard on the cobblestone steps of Unicorn Way.

"Oooh! Oooh! We summon a heckhound and he'll chase the skeletal pirates!"

Everyone turns to Nicole with an uncertain face, disapproving her idea.

"I can't summon a heckhound to start with," Scarlet said.

"Those things are too chaotic for us to control," Morgan added.

"The ghost disguises?" Adrian suggested.

Morgan shook her head, then sneezed. "Woo~" She wipes her nose. "Ghosts don't cough or sneeze."

Adrian turned back to moping at the cobblestone. "Riiiight."

He bared his incisors at the skeletons, trying to think up of a plan. "Have any of you got a mana potion?"

"Ooh! Ooh!" Nicole starts digging into her bosom, and pulls out a flask with sparkling blue liquid.

Scarlet blushes at the sight. "You don't even have that big of a chest!"

"How d-does she keeps things in there?" Morgan stammered.

"There's pockets in your chest?" Adrian asked.

"I think it's _tres bon_!" Nicole smiled and handed the flask to the ice wizard.

He nods back in thanks and sips in a quarter of the potion. "I used up a bit of mana today. Nicole, can you work-"

"You know~" Scarlet steps up, producing a wand out of her sleeve. "I think I should get my turn at the fun."

Eyes filled with worry, Morgan grabs at Scarlet's cape. "You're actually going to fight them?"

"We handled the fairies just fine. Relax. Plus I've always wanted to try this new spell."

Scarlet steps up to the skeletons with an assertive smile.

"Hello boys~"

The undead corsairs turned to the pyromancer. They grumbled and raised their swords, alerting their allies of her presence.

Morgan hissed at Scarlet. "A simple firecat can't deal with them!"

The smile of Scarlet's face grew into a smug grin as she looked over her shoulder to her friends.

"Who says I was gonna cast firecat?"

Scarlet turned back at the skeletons. "Flame Arts: Cinderblade Cutlass!"

The pyromancer's fingertips swiped away from her along the smoothness of her wand, making a double-edged curved scimitar of blazing fire. The flames spun within the sword's shape, densifying more and more, like a firestorm compressed into a beermilk bottle. Cinders and charred bits flowed crazily in its blade, very well assuring that the sword will not pass through its target.  
Her friends stared in awe as the sworded girl charged toward the crowd of undead, dragging the blade through countless enemies and parrying off their cutlasses with ease, easily proving that she was no novice knight. She struck at one pirate, crossing blades with him and smiling.

"Seems I'll be flaming up all of you guys."

She continued grinding her edge on the pirate's, too distracted to notice a pirate behind charging for her neck.

Morgan called out with despair. "Scarlet!" She reached for her wand but her hand blew out of place as a cold current rushed by her fingers. Just as the skeletal pirate's sword came down on Scarlet's neck, the icy, snowy current came together to form a familiar thaumaturge ally. Adrian fell back-to-back with Scarlet, kicking the undead privateer away as he rolled off her back, somersaulting backwards and grabbing the skeleton whom Scarlet crossed blades with by the head. The skeleton and wizard were in mid-air as Adrian's hand glides off the skull and grips onto the spine of the pirate. With brute force, he slammed the skeletal marauder into the cobblestone, making it disperse in a cloud of bones and dust as he landed with a stumble.

Adrian spat his bangs out of the way as he looked up to Scarlet. "That's twice I had to save your ass."

Scarlet simply giggles with fighting confidence. "Show off."

More pirates circled around the two opposites of power. The fire and ice wizard stood with backs facing each other. The energy within Scarlet's flame sword began to speed up and intensify while mana flowed through Adrian's veins and ice covered his fists. Off in the distance, a giant, rotting worm erupted out of the ground, gobbling up the skeletons unfortunate enough to be in its summoning area. Nicole stood by with death runes and staff in her hands while Morgan created a swarm of bright, Myth-yellow lightning bugs, swooping in at another group of skeletal pirates, making them disappear with a flash, leaving only their clothes and a pool of ectoplasm. One of the death runes in Nicole's hands sparked and the rotting worm shined and split apart to five small forms. The figures faded down and gained color, turning into Nicole's Super Dark Sprite Squad. She really hadn't paid attention to it before, but Morgan caught that there were five of them, colored pink, yellow, green, blue, and red. The sprites circled around skeletons, draining their necromantic ties to the living world, forcing the skeletons to unanimate into piles of bones.

"You Ravenwood folk are good fighters," Adrian commented. "I should save some mana for now."

An ice rune drew itself in front of Adrian. "Snow Summoning: Ice Beetle!"

He swiped his wand up and an ice beetle dug out of the ground, crushing its bony victims with its cold mandibles.

"I could say the same about you Pigswick folk," Scarlet called back.

"Cinder Summoning: Firecat Litter!" She lobbed her sword up, spinning and creating a fire rune. From it, a trio of firecats shot out, landing around Scarlet as they were shrouded in flames and breathed out superheated air. One managed to find a handful of skellies in its pounce, erupting into fire as their bones dried into dust. Another clawed its way through its share of skeletons, joining its remaining sibling as they yowled at more pirates, reducing them into ashes with hot breaths.

"Anymore?" Scarlet asked.

The wizards looked around until Nicole twisted to find some sneaky ones jumping for her with cutlasses raised. She readied herself to smack at them with her staff, until branches suddenly snaked their way to the skeletons, wrapping around them and squeezing their souls out.

Nicole turned to her left to see a boy clothed in green. Ceren Nightchant hurried up to the novice wizards, panting.

As soon as he caught his breath, Ceren managed to speak,"Are.. Whew! A-Are you guys sure you're not beginner wizards? A-And what's with that Fire Blade?"

Scarlet's sword fell back into her hands. "It's a Cinderblade Cutlass, life pervert."

Ceren raises a brow at her. "I-Isn't that a magus level spell? Even so, that takes 3 years of training to wield!"

She shrugs. "What so hard about swinging a sword?"

The blade disappears, leaving behind only Scarlet's wand.

"Let's just say I sneaked a peek in Falmea's spell card collection."

Scarlet smiled mischieviously, making Ceren surprised with her words. Morgan and Nicole met up with Scarlet, releasing their spells while Adrian joined them with a shrunken ice beetle in his arms, stroking its frosty wings.

"Ooh ooh!" Nicole jumped and took the ice beetle in her arms. "Can we keep it?"

Adrian chuckled. "If you take over in keeping the spell active."

"Oh." Nicole shrugs and hugged the beetle dearly, while Morgan's hands tried for the beetle in worrying Nicole might squeeze it too hard.

Ceren watched the group's care-freeness, impressed by their abilities. "Yeah, I couldn't make it to the tower because of those skeletal pirates. I guess I'll lead you to Delia's tower."

"Hey Ceren," Scarlet spoke up.

"Yeah?"

"After walking around the street, did you ever see any bone cages? We didn't."

"Well…" Ceren thought on it. "Before the ghosts showed up, I did see bone cages hung around lamp posts. They must've been taken away. Why?"

"So the fairies are already taken away…" Scarlet bit her thumb, realizing it's too late, but threw the thought away.

"The tower." Ceren pointed out.

"Right." Scarlet confirmed.

With that, the wizards followed the theurgist down the streets of Unicorn Way.

* * *

"Let me go!" cried one pixie as she struggled with the cage. The bone bar of the cage wouldn't budge. Her cage was one of the many cages that were lined around the surrounding wall.  
A skeleton in black, gold gilded armor, made his way to the resisting fairy. He cackled as his bone finger went for the pixie's chin, but the pixie shoved it out of the way.

"A fiesty one this is," he spoke. His breath was rasp and rough, and voice like a pirate's.

The pixie stomped at her cage, glaring at the skeleton. "You're gonna pay you big, fat, meanie, fat, gross, mean, you!"

"And what could you do, but be my little cute dark pixie~" The armored skeleton's teeth neared the fairy.

"I would laugh and smile." He points to his teeth. "But I have no lips! ROHOHOHOHOHOHO!"

Nobody joined his laugh. Even his dark sprites simply shook their heads.

You guys are no fun." He grumbled. He starts to walk away, until the sound of footsteps reached his- Nevermind he doesn't have ears.

The doors burst open and five wizards clothed in different magic schools rushed in. The armoured skeleton raised his sword to attack, but the wizards went right past him, to the imprisoned fairies. One by one, they took away the bone cages, walking out of the tower, making the armoured skeleton confused.

One of the wizards, clothed in elegant purple, green, and black, with blonde hair, came up to the skeleton, with a board and paper.

"Mr. Rattlebones, am I right?" Nicole asked.

"Uuuh…" Rattlebones looked around to what was happening, then back to the necromancer.

"I am Rattlebones."

"Great! I see my partners have finished packing up the bone cages. Now if you could just sign here~" Nicole showed him the papers, with documents and blank lines. She also gave the skeleton a pen, which he took to sign the papers.

"W-Wait, where are you taking the fairies?" Rattlebones looked over her shoulder.

"To the new dark enchantment site! Our dark master finds your way of enchanting too inefficient."

"H-Hold on, me? Inefficient? Lord Malistaire told me I am the only commander in Unicorn Way!"

"So…" Nicole revealed her staff, which glowed with unnerving, creepy magics. "The old man is behind all these plans?"

Realizing what was happening, Rattlebones brought down his sword on Nicole, which she blocked by forming an inward curved blade from the top of her staff.

Rattlebone's eyes widened at the sight, or if he even had eyelids. "This blade… The staff…"

Nicole pulled a finger to her lips, shushing Rattlebones as she jumped back to join her fellow wizards.

"I can't believe he actually fell for that," Ceren marvelled.

Rattlebones' bones clacked and shook with irritation.

"To be toyed with by childish wizards!"

"Heh, so this is Rattlebones?" Her wand bursts into a flaming sword once more.

"Scrawny fellow."

Instead of growing more annoyed, he laughed, summoning a black, gold edged shield with a skull on it.

"You cannot stop us wizard! The corruption of the fairies is just the beginning of Malistaire's plans! Soon, Wizard City will fall and there isn't anything anyone can do about it! Mwahahahaha!"

"You talk too much." Scarlet readied herself and darted toward the skeleton. She chopped down at Rattlebones but he bashed the blade away with his shield and kicked Scarlet in the guts, launching her away and into a bookshelf, making her let out a cough of pain. Adrian was next, flashing from his position and speeding up behind the skeleton, ready to crush his helmet with his clawed, frost-covered hands. Rattlebones swiped away his head to avoid his death grasp, then immediately knocked him forcefully with an elbow to the face.

"He's too fast," Morgan pointed out.

"Then we use two!" Nicole slammed the butt of her staff into the ground. "Corpse Weaving: Ghouls!"

The ground cracked and three ghouls erupted from the ground, just like before. They charged at Rattlebones with their shovels, but the skeleton was more experienced. One ghoul thrusted his spade at his ribcage, but he leaped into the pole of the shovel, slicing the ghoul's head in two up the middle. As soon as he landed, another ghoul swiped at the skeleton, but he rolled away, letting the shovel head bash the other ghoul's head into pieces. With ease, Rattlebones circled around his attacker and shoved the point of his sword up the remaining ghoul's back. Before the ghoul hit the ground, Rattlebones caught his shovel and lobbed it at Nicole. It span in the air and impacted on her shoulder, making her let out a scream of intense pain as she fell hard into a pile of papers and bones.

Ceren bit his lip and pointed his staff at Rattlebones. "Nature Weaving: Rampant Growth!"

A life rune drew itself in front of him and turned to wood. More wood branches sprouted from it, snaking around each other as they darted for the skeleton. Rattlebones slid under the mass of branches, then boosted to the side, charging for Ceren. More wood branched from the ones that attacked Rattlebones before. They too grew speedily for the skeleton, but he used it as a stepping stone, flying off of it and managing a deep cut in Ceren's upper right arm, splashing blood on the bookshelves.

ARRGH!" Ceren cried. He immediately directed his hand over his wound, it glowed with green energy as the wound started to regenerate, but the blood loss also raced against the healing.

turned to Morgan, who he deemed was frail and hurled his sword at the conjurer. Her eyes widened as the blade spun for her.

Adrian and Scarlet reached for her. "No!"

splatted on her face. Her eyes shook as she looked upon the deep wound. A hunchback was in front of her, with the sword lodged in his arm.

"Mudge!" Morgan cried.

The behemoth demon's ears twitched as he growled with annoyance. He pulled the sword out of his arm and threw it aside, landing right beside Scarlet. She was shocked as the sword dug into the books. Mudge huffed and puffed, then charged for the skeleton, ripping away his shield and arm, the continued at tearing apart the skeleton and his armor. Rattlebones cried in pain as he as dismembered by the hunchback.

"He… He did it," Scarlet breathed, as she started to get up.

Ceren shook his head out of dizziness and rushed to Nicole's side. His own wound shrank to a still considerable cut, but he managed the rest of his healing mana on relocating Nicole's shoulder bones.

You alright?" Ceren asked.

Nicole unburied her face from the books. "I'm fine."

"No," Mudge grumbled.

"What?"

The five wizards looked to where the demon pointed. They watched as the bones began to come back together. Even the armor, shield, and sword.

Adrian rushed to Scarlet's side, trying to mutter a plan into her ear. Rattlebones rose from his regeneration, laughing as he rolled his shoulder joints.

"You're going to have to do better than that, scrubs!"

"Yeah?" Adrian spat into the ground then threw aside his cloak. He produced a rapier of ice and challenged Rattlebones to a duel.

" _En garde_ , bone man," He warned.

Adrian came into an elegant stance, sword tip pointed at Rattlebones as his free hand was unruly, ready to brawl and counter. He let his swordsicle drag on the ground as he raced for Rattlebones. The two clashed. Rattlebone's shieldhand went to punch Adrian, but he lowered his arm and stepped back, dancing around the skeleton and jumped, spinning in mid air and stopping to thrust his rapier from behind. The blade pierced through his armor, but Adrian quickly pulled it out and leaped backwards. Rattlebones stared at the thaumaturge with hate as he rubbed the back of his head. Adrian smirked as while he swung his sword up, firing a line of erupting ice spikes from the ground at Rattlebones. The skeleton dodged it with ease, but Adrian kept flashing around, firing more and more ice waves at the armoured skeleton, while keeping his distance.

"You annoying fly!"

Rattlebones decided it was time to strike back, but his feet wouldn't move. They were tied to the ground by Ceren's wood magic. Adrian then slammed his hands on the ground. The skeleton noticed that his hand was on chalk. Rattlebones twisted around to see the other wizards doing the same thing. He shook in horror as he found himself in the center of a magic circle made of lines of ice spikes from before, and chalk lines to finish the circle.

Adrian yelled out to above. "Scarlet! Now!"

The pyromancer leaped up, corkscrewing in the air gracefully as she brought up her flaming sword. With precision, she hurled the Cinderblade Cutlass at Rattlebones. It bolted right into a rune that made out the center circle in which Rattlebones was in. Scarlet landed with ease on her part of the magic circle and slammed her palms on the chalk circle.

She called out, "Cinder Summoning!:"

The group of wizards followed right after, chanting in unison, "Phoenix!"

Mudge's lips pursed in as he stood flat against the wall, watching surprised at Rattlebones while he let out an excruciating yell of pain. The center of the circle blazed in a pillar of intense inferno.

Instantly, a giant bird of fire feathers sprouted out of the magic circle in blazing fire. The room was too cramped, so the phoenix had its back against the ceiling.

"WHO DARES SUMMONING ME FROM ICE MAGIC?" the phoenix demanded.

The raptor of fire stared at Scarlet with anger, but then noticed all the other wizards, and watched down at her tail, seeing Rattlebones screaming from within.

"I see…" the phoenix calmed.

The phoenix dissipated and the blazes were gone. Rattlebones was frozen in place, his bones burned to a crisp as he was reaching up for something with his hand. His charred bones disintegrated into ashes.

All the wizards were sucked of their mana. They fell back and started panting. Mudge lumbered over to Morgan's side, watching awkwardly as Morgan smiled and panted out of exhaustion.

Ceren bolted up and yelled, "You guys are insane!"

Scarlet chuckled as Adrian coughed. Nicole moaned into a book that covered her face.

"Heroes are always insane," Scarlet pointed out.

"Join the club."


	8. Returning to Father

"To think we'd almost forget about this."

Scarlet and the three, plus Ceren & Mudge, looked upon a house, its roof laden with yellow and red shingles.

"Who's house is this?" Ceren asked.

The other four wizards remained silent, while Ceren and Mudge shrugged to each other.

"Hey life perv," Scarlet called.

"Huh?" Ceren blinked at the pyromancer.

"Are you sure you don't want me to sear your wound shut?"

"N-No! It's painful!"

"It's either pain or you bleed a lot more."

Ceren kept staring at Scarlet, a bit afraid of her question. Adrian came up behind him, patting his shoulder.

"No worries, mate." Adrian assured. "I can null the pain with the little mana I have left."

Nicole watched the three with worry, wondering if Ceren will be okay, until Morgan tugged on her sleeve.

"C'mon Nic, let's return her to her body." Morgan produced the flask from before, that held a white wisp.

Nicole nodded silently as she begins for the yellow and red roofed house. Mudge also followed them through the doorway that was a tad too small for him. Morgan and Nicole cringed as they heard Ceren Nightchant's cry of pain. Mudge licked his lips at the cry, but bit his lip, resisting his demonic intuition. The girls shook the thought of the pain off as they continued their search for a body of a little girl. The three looked around every part of the house, but they came up with nothing. Mudge walked down a hallway, until his head bumped into something, and an attic door smacked him forward from behind. He growled and cursed, but realized the new, unsearched area above. He pushed the attic door aside to call for the other girls with his gruff, ethereal voice. Sure enough, Morgan and Nicole arrived later to find an attic door with stairs, and with Mudge's head popping out of the cellar entrance.

"I believe I am stuck," Mudge put blatantly.

"Mudge!" Morgan reached for her familiar in worry.

Nicole analyzed the situation, and then positioned herself below Mudge. She started to stomp the floor. The conjurer turned to her friend, raising a brow. Nicole squatted down, and then raised a foot to the ceiling with a hand ready to push herself up.

Morgan looks down on her. "Nic… Nicole, what are you-"

Nicole suddenly bolts up, kicking Mudge in the face as she disappears into the ceiling along with Mudge's face.

"M-Mudge!" Morgan scrambles to climb the ladder. "Well, that was one way of doing it…"

She popped her head into the higher level, seeing Nicole sprawled out on a pile of clothes and Mudge blinded by a cover sheet.

Morgan giggles behind her hand then climbs out of the hole to below. "Mudge, are you okay?"

He rubs his nose. "I deserved that. No demon should've been in such a pitiful situation."

"I-" She looks weirdly at her demon familiar. "Alright, Mudge."

The room was full of dusty stuff, boxes covered in cobwebs, clothes beyond cleaning, and sunbeams unnaturally visible through the dust-filled air.

"Guys, look~"

Nicole's fingers showed Morgan and Mudge's eyes to a lifeless body of a little girl with brunette braids and straight bangs, with freckles on her face. Morgan brought out the white flask out.

"So is this her?" she asked.

Nicole went up to the figure. "So how do I return the soul to the body without making her undead or something?"

"Well theurgy only keeps a being from dying." Morgan pointed out. "We need to return a soul to its body."

"Re-establish her mana link; her spirit's mana flow." Mudge explained suddenly.

The two looked at the behemoth demon with surprise.

"You know this stuff?" Nicole asked.

"I'm simply reversing the steps to eating a soul," Mudge said blatantly.

"Oh," the girls went, looking at each other with concern.

"So how do we do that?" Nicole asked again.

"Just give her mana," Mudge said.

"But we don't have enough mana to give her and return her soul."

The demon grumbled and took Morgan's hand then put his free hand to the girl's chest. "This is really tough…"

Mudge focused to transferring his mana, reversing the steps to eating a soul. He felt like vomiting as he visualized mana flowing from his arm into the girl's bosom.

"Now, the girl's soul. Into my mouth," Mudge instructed.

Morgan swiped the flask away. "You're not eating her!"

"I am under my master. If I were to eat it, then I would disobey you. I do not desire a cheap soul like this girl's anyways."

With hesitance, Morgan popped the cork off the flask, pouring the white wisp within into Mudge's mouth. The demon swallowed it, making Morg and Nic gasp, but he simply rolled his eyes at Nicole and Morgan, while his mana-filled arm trembled and the soul coursed through his veins and into the girl's body. For a moment, nothing happened, and then the girl spasmed, coughing awake.

"Wh- Wha?"

Her eyes opened to a menacing demon. She screamed, but a blonde girl with blue eyes, clothed in blue, gold-trimmed wizard wear shushed her silent.

"Hush now, dear…" Morgan breathed gently. "Your name is Connie, isn't it? Connie Stillson?"

Connie nodded cautiously, watching her braids rub along Mudge's wrist, which the demon took his hand away from Connie's chest.

Nicole hovered over her, smiling gently, unlike her childish, cheerful grins. "Your daddy is waiting for you."

Connie's breathing slowed to a calm demeanor. "Father?"

"That's right…" Morgan nodded.

Scarlet's voiced echoed throughout the cellar. "Is everything alright up there?"

"Scarlet's down there with Ceren. He's passed out," he explained.

Connie watched the new people around her, plus the occasional sloth demon.

Nicole jabbed a thumb at herself. "We're wizards!"

The little girl awed at the bruised and burnt spellcasters. "You guys are strong!"

Adrian started to make his way up to the attic, but Scarlet kicked Adrian up the rest of the way. The pyromancer followed right after as she climbed up, smiling with pride.

"You bet we are strong!"

Morgan shook softly at Connie's shoulder. "Did you remember what happened to you, dear?"

Connie observed her surroundings, and then giggled half-heartedly to Mudge scratching his ear like a dog. Mudge noticed Connie's giggle, grunted, and went for the exit.

She turned to Morgan, explaining, "I remember a scary ghost… She made me a ghost."

"So it was just a lost soul," Scarlet shrugged.

"No," Morgan said.

Everyone turned to Morgan's objection.

"All the ghost we've seen had their genders hidden. Connie said a she." Morgan explained.

Adrian let his fist fall into his palm in an idea. "Then, can you describe the ghost to us?"

Connie raised a brow. "The lady ghost looked like she hasn't eaten for days, but she was in a pretty white dress."

Adrian raised a finger, but both that and his smile dropped as he shrugged. "Meh, I'm still new to Wizard City."

"You're not the only one who doesn't know," Scarlet commented.

Nicole and Morgan also had no idea.

"But anyways, we have to return Connie to the private." Scarlet pointed out.

Morgan's hand caressed Connie's head, running her palm along her braids. "Do you want to see dad again?"

The little girl nodded eagerly.

"He promised he'd see me again."

"Your shift is over."

Private Cardigan casually strolled over to the gate, fidgeting with his spear, waiting for a response.

"Stillson?" Cardigan asked.

The guard continued to his side, poking him with the butt of his spear.

Private Stillson broke from his vigil. "Wh-what?"

Cardigan frowned. "I said your shift is over. Are ye' daydreaming?"

Stillson regained his vigilant posture. "Ambrose sent some novices down Unicorn Way."

"Not my problem. You shoidn't be worried 'bout dead meat."

Stillson shot Cardigan a warning look, to which he raised his eyebrows in mock intimidation.

"You can just keep going. I am waiting for the wizards' return," Stillson explained.

His colleague shrugs and turns away. "Oight, if you want. Less work fer me. I tell 'em yer on overtime."

Cardigan starts to walk away, but also adds, "And give me half of ye extra pay. Oi've not enough hours t'day."

Stillson's eyes were sewn to the tunnel gate as he mumbled, "Mmmyeah, sure."

Cardigan shrugs blatantly and continues to leave the scene. Stillson's grip on his spear tightens, but quickly weakens as he sloops back on the stone wall, leaning back and shivering to the sound of the helmet grinding the wall as his head tilted backwards to face the sky. The guard sighs out a huff of worrisome air as he gave in to his heavy eyelids. He didn't start to doze, for the thoughts in his head kept him up. Soon, his breathing became softer anyways and Stillson began to sleep, only to jerk awake to heavy footsteps from the Unicorn Way tunnel. He pushed himself away from the wall and spun around with his spear in hand, taking a clumsy, yet ready stance for what was coming. A hulking figure in a ragged tunic and hood of brown cotton came out of the shadows. Stillson shook in fear as his eyes met the monster's yellow irises. Though his face was partly hidden by the hood's shadow, a pointed ear poked out of the hood. Stillson realized it was some kind of demon and prepared his spear, but his legs were ready to run. The demon finally came out of the shadows of the tunnel, only to get stuck in the tunnel opening. Stillson watched the demon with confusion as Mudge made an expression that showed he was borderline angry.

"That's twice this happened today," Mudge grumbled in his gruff voice.

Muffled voices sounded out of the tunnel from behind the demon.

"Morgan! Your hunchback thing is blocking the way!"

"It's dark…"

"Why do you girls even have a demon familiar?!"

"M-Mudge! Are you alright-"

"HYAAAAH!"

The demon was bursted out of the tunnel with a necromancer girl flying out behind him, like she actually kicked the giant hunchback out of the way. Mudge rolled down the cobblestone until a stone house stopped him, cracking a bit in the process. The behemoth demon was upside down with his back on the wall, watching his legs hang with shame. Nicole landed beside Stillson from her flying kick, finishing little kung-fu show with a fist pump. She then took a proud position with a hand on her flat bicep.

"Black Ranger is bestest, cutest ranger!" Nicole chanted.

Stillson blinked in astonishment, trying to process what had just happened. "Did she just kick a giant demon-"

"Mudge!" Morgan rushed towards her familiar, tripping on Stillson's spear and crashing into Nicole.

Scarlet walks up behind Stillson from the tunnel, shaking her head. "All of my friends are so clumsy."

Adrian follows up after Scarlet. "Hey, well I'm still here-" He also trips… over nothing, managing a nice faceplant.

"Nevermind," he mumbles into the ground.

Private Stillson was still trying to comprehend the ruckus, but then pushed it all away as he turned to Scarlet.

"You wizards are back!"

She grins proudly as she twirled her wand in the air. "That's right!"

Scarlet looks behind her as Ceren limps out from the shadows of the tunnels, waving to the guard.

"But," Stillson interrupted Scarlet's moment of accomplishment. "Connie, did you find her?"

Scarlet gave him a disregarding jab of a thumb, pointing behind her as she went to help up Adrian. The guard turned into the tunnel to see a small girl standing behind Ceren's legs. Connie peeked around to see her father.

"Daddy!"

There was a bounce in her steps as Connie left Ceren's side, rushing up to reunite with her father, leaving Scarlet scrambling to get to Ceren, diving under his arm to support the theurgist.

Nightchant slightly blushes to Scarlet coming to hold him up. "Oh. Eheh, thanks-"

"SHYUDDUP!" Scarlet immediately returns the blush, kicking Ceren's ass away into an Adrian who was still getting up.

They both let out an "Oof!" as they collided with each other. Stillson and her daughter's heartfelt reunion was ruined by the silly happenings, watching Ceren smiling and holding his arm in pain while blood dripped down from his nose, while Adrian was under the life wizard, sighing and giving up, simply burying his face in the ground.

"Did." The guard blinked. "Did these wizards really rescue you?"

Connie grinned gently. "Yep! They told me how they beat up this meanie skeleton with a big fire birdy!"

Private Stillson's eyes widened at the novice wizards in disbelief, realizing their burns and bruises. "Them? They summoned the legendary phoenix?"

Mudge was recovering from his dizzy roll-into-a-wall, while Morgan managed to crawl up from under a dazed Nicole, trotting quickly to pull Adrian up from under Ceren. Scarlet finally let go of her temper, losing her blush and turning to the Stillsons, shrugging.

"Well, yeah. I would be lying if I said we didn't summon a phoenix," Scarlet bragged.

Scarlet puffs her hair out of the way, sporting her proud, amburnt eyes, with a fist by her hip and a thumb at her chest. "Just you wait, I'm gonna be the strongest pyromancer ever! A fire knight!"

Private Stillson's eyes widened. "A fire knight?"

Adrian casually came up beside Scarlet, with hands behind his head in a relaxed stance.

"Don't you mean _we're_ going to be the strongest?" Adrian asked.

Morgan nudged up against Scarlet playfully. "Yeah, as friends."

"Aaaand!"

Nicole jumped up against Scarlet from behind, hugging around her neck. "Plus, we've still gotta plan that party at the Hedge Maze!"

"Heh." Scarlet just smirks with confidence. "Sure, together. But I'm still gonna be the strongest."

"I don't know, Scarly." Morgan pokes at Adrian. "You're gonna have some tough competition. After all, he came up with the plan."

"Eeeh?" Adrian smiles nervously. "Well we couldn't pull it off if Scarlet wasn't-"

"Oh?" Scarlet knocks her head against Adrian's. "Then you're gonna get soooo burnt up."

"I didn't sign up for thiiiisssss," Adrian whimpered.

Private Stillson watched in awe, finding a potential power in the group of friends.

"Did they really save Unicorn Way?" the guard asked himself.

Connie's tiny hands tugged at her father's guard clothes, grabbing the private's attention.

"Daddy! Daddy! I wanna be a wizard too! Like big sister Scarlet and brother Adrian!"

At first, Private Stillson was surprised at her words, but soon smiled warmly at his daughter's dreams.

"Sure, girl. When you're old enough."

"But I wanna be a wizard now!"

"Hey," Scarlet crouched down to meet her eyes with Connie's. "Don't worry. When you're old enough to be a wizard, we'll still be here, so wait for us, alright?"

Connie's eyes let out a sparkle of enthusiasm, as she smiled and nodded at Scarlet's request.

"Alright, big sister!"

Scarlet chuckled a bit as she looks down, getting back up to standing proud with her friends in front of the eyes of a young, dreaming girl.

"Come on," Morgan said. "Let's get back to the dorms. We should clean up before curfew."

The group of wizards looked up to find the sky mixed with orange, as the sun started to retreat behind the skyline of towers and the Great Tree.

"It's already afternoon~" Scarlet remarked.

"I CALL FIRST SHOWER!" Nicole called out.

"Dammit!" Scarlet hissed to herself.

"I call second," Adrian smiled.

"Third," Morgan claimed.

"Fine, fourth." Scarlet rolled her eyes.

The conjurer laughs gently and steps ahead. "Come on, let's get home~"

Nicole bounces around. "Ooh ooh! Race ya, Morgan!"

Nicole immediately dashes ahead of Morgan, making the conjurer shake her head and chase after her necromancer friend.

"Come on, pervert." Scarlet elbows Adrian playfully as she begins to jog after her friends.

Adrian simply lets out a huff of exhaustion and goes ahead lazily with hands relaxed behind his head. Connie's hold on her father's legs tightens as she watches the wizards go off to their dorms, while Stillson begins to foresee their future.

"Maybe they'll be the saviors of Wizard City…" Stillson spoke to himself.

His train of thought gets interrupted as something else tugs at his trousers. He looks down on his right, finding a theurgist half-passed-out.

Ceren Nightchant was barely able to make out his words with a dazed smile.

"Get me to a nurse please~"


	9. Shower Time

"I still can't get over it."

Scarlet was slouched on the couch with a towel on her lap, waiting for her turn for the showers.

Morgan blinked over at Scarlet. "Can't get over what?"

"That a freaking boy is in our dorms, much more he's using the same showers as us," Scarlet explained.

Morgan rolls her eyes. "It's already been three days, Scarlet."

The conjurer then looks over to the kitchen, watching Adrian trying to put a pot up in a cabinet, but a bunch of other pots and pans fall out from above. He tranced at the stainless steel mess around him, probably trying to process what had just happened.

Morgan giggles slightly at the sight. "Come on, Scarlet. You've gotta get over it someday.

The pyromancer shrugs. "Well… I guess. I like the fact that he makes meals for us, and butler-quality food at that, but still, don't you think he's gonna peep on us?"

Morgan's cheeks glow bright with pink, but she manages to shake it off. "Well…"

She looks over to Adrian sighing as he started to clean up the mess in the kitchen.

"I don't think he's that kind of person," Morgan assured Scarlet.

Scarlet puffs her blonde bangs out the way and rolls over on the couch, getting her knees up on the soft cushions to have her eyes turn up to the moonlight gleaming through the leaves of Bartleby. She enjoyed the soft crickets making their rhythmless melody, and Morgan humming something like a children's song beside her while reviewing the syllabus for her summoning classes. Scarlet then caught the sound of a knob twisting, and then switched around to find Nicole coming out of a steamy hall with her hair wet and only in a towel.

"Adrian! It's your turn for the showers!" Nicole poked around the corner, finding him still sorting out pots and pans.

Adrian shook his head. "Eeeeh, I've still got to clean this up. What about you guys go first, I'll make dinner and go last."

The young thaumaturge's eyes started to turn for Nicole, but Scarlet quickly shoved in front of her, frantically trying to cover up a fresh-out-of-the-shower Nicole. When Adrian's eyes expected the blonde necromancer, he found a Scarlet, waving her arms around all jumpy, which he just shrugged and returned to replacing the wok to the cabinets.

"Aw, Scarlet~ You're no fun," Nicole pouted.

"He's going to see you!" Scarlet hissed.

"So? He's welcome to see mine anytime!"

"W-Wait, what?"

"Ghouls are such cuties~" Nicole giggled.

"I- …" Scarlet blinks, but just starts to push Nicole to the bedroom.

"Oooh! We're playing choo choo zoo!" Nicole trumpets like a helephant. "BARAAAAG!"

"I swear, this girl sometimes…"

The two girls disappears behind the bedroom door, while Morgan stepped into the view, shaking her head as she watched the fire and death wizards, then turn to her ice wizard friend.

"U-Um… Hi, Adrie…"

Morgan's fingers fidgeted around as she steps onto the kitchen floor, watching Adrian starting to put up the last steel pot, but then turns to face her.

"Oh. Hello, Morgan~"

His arms faltered as he looked around and shrugged. Adrian took the pot up and placed it on his head like a hat.

"Eh? No?" The thaumaturge throws in jazz hands for extra effect.

"Um…" Morgan raised a brow at the strange sight. "What're you doing?"

"Eh…"

He shrugs the situation off as he unequips the pot helm.

"I figured the air would be tense after today, with this whole Mister Malistaire's plans and all. I guess everyone is still up with smiles."

"I guess we forgot about the whole thing, or that we're just tired." Morgan assured.

She offered Adrian a smile as she took the pot from his hands, letting it sparkle with magic, and the pot floats up into the cabinets.

Adrian mouthed the word wow as he watched. "No wand?"

"Just nice mana flow and contraction."

"So basically making the pot into a wand." Adrian guessed.

"I just imagined little air nymphs lifting the pot for me."

Adrian kept his sights under the pot, watching it slow then drop onto the cabinet. He could barely make out the tiny anomalies in the air as they dispersed after they got the job done.

"So that was conjuration? I don't recall that as a spell…" he murmured.

"I dunno. I just imagine the nymphs, and they come to life. That's the basics of conjuration anyways."

"But you took that directly from your 'dreams.' That isn't all that normal. Was it the same with that bloody spell you used back then?"

"I knew what you meant, Adrie."

Morgan watched her own hands, then down to her casual pants. "Bloodstorm was also a product of my imagination. Is it really not normal?"

"As far as I recall, I don't think even Professor Drake is able to do that. Conjuration is from legends and myths. You… That was like straight out of your imagination…"

"R-Really?" Morgan thought about it hard. "I thought that was just basic conjuration… Th-Then what about you? With that icy fisticuffs you pulled back then."

Adrian smiled nervously at her question. "I don't normally tell a lot of people about it…"

"Is it really that much of a secret?" she awed.

The ice wizard settled back on the countertop. "I'm not exactly fond of the idea of people stealing or copying my creations. But if you really want to know~"

"Well, it certainly is interesting…" Morgan meeped.

Adrian smiled and hung his head back, watching the moths around the kitchen lights.

"Mana infusion. Having mana flow through your bloodstream and muscles, therefore making your blood cells more oxygen-rich and quickening the respiration of your muscle cells, bone, and bone marrow, concluding in the amelioration of your body's endurance, stamina, and strength, overall performance I guess."

"I-…" Morgan was unable to keep up with his words. "Can you speak dumb for me?"

"Oh, sorry. It's basically just having mana in your system. It strengthens your body. That's why I was able to take heavy hits and deal heavy blows. It's also kind of like making my body a wand, so I was easily able to take the air's moisture and cast pure ice magics. Got it?"

"I—… I think so."

"Just think of it as something that makes you tougher, stronger, and a human wand."

"I can get that," Morgan nodded.

"Like, why use magic to create the things you need to use that specific class of magic, when you can just manipulate the things around you to your will? That's- Oh.. I'm nerding out on you, aren't I."

"How do you even manage to get that all in your head?" Morgan marveled.

"I dunno. I was locked in my bedroom for most of my childhood, so I just hit the books because there was nothing better to do," Adrian shrugged.

"Wow, some parents you had," Morgan scoffed.

"Quite, the aristocratic smugs," Adrian agreed.

"Oh yeah, you're Marleybonian. I'm one too!"

"Really? What family?"

Morgan looked away. "Ah, well… I wasn't born all rich family like you were… I mean it was okay, but it was always a struggle. I had to give up luxuries like good food for my younger brothers. That's why I became a wizard… So I can make money, and help my family."

Adrian kept silent when she told her story, putting a hand on her shoulder afterwards, which made Morgan blush and look up to her thaumaturgic friend.

"You know why I became a wizard?"

"Why?"

"Other than magic being interesting, once I become powerful, I'll go back to Marleybone, and show up to the upper-class pigs, to fight and protest for the children of Marleybone, children…"

Morgan was caught off guard by his words of revolt. "You're really going to do that?"

"Hey, I'm not alone… The O'Learys are into it too, as well as the lower-class families."

Morgan inched back a bit. "The O'Learys? Those thieves?"

"Hey, the O'Learys were once the same people like you. They needed to survive too. Not all of them are bad."

"They are? I'd never imagine them like that…" Morgan looked down.

"Didn't expect you to…"

Adrian grew silent, as if he spoke too much about his intentions.

"But anyways, I gotta get to making dinner. And you," Adrian tossed a towel in her arms. "You're next for the showers."

"O-Oh! Oh yeah!" Morgan starts to stammer with a bright blush. "Yeah, me, sh-showering… I-I-"

"AHA!" Scarlet popped out of nowhere, going all ninja pig on the countertop. "So you ARE a pervert!"

"N-No!" Morgan hid behind her towel. "We were just talking about Marleybone!"

"REALLY? You can see it on his face that he's gonna peep onto you in the showers!"

"What?" Adrian blinks. "Is there like some secret?"

"See? He said so! He's a pervert!" Scarlet exclaimed.

"What's a pervert?" Adrian asked.

"He's not- I told you! He's not that kind of person!" Morgan whined.

"Oi, Scarlet," Adrian said, "get off the countertop-"

"Don't worry, Morg! I'm gonna guard the showers for you!" Scarlet assured her.

"Scaaaarlet! He's not going to peep!" Morgan said once again in Adrian's defense.

"Oi…" Adrian cheek twitched in irritation.

"REAAAALLY?" Scarlet asked. "Three girls and a guy! This is obviously some perverted story set-up!"

Morgan pouts. "Scarlet, I'm not-"

"For the love of the Queen-" Adrian threw a wooden pestle at Scarlet, knocking her off the countertop and he grew an olden Marleybonian accent. "-GET OFF ME BLOODY COUNTERTOP, YE SAVAGE!"

Scarlet landed on the floor, growing a knot on her head and a dazed smile on her cheeks. Adrian lost his frown but kept his sternness. He coughed into his fist and dusted off his hand, turning and catching Morgan on the way. He shrugs. His voice was back to a normal accent.

"What? Cooking is serious stuff. No feet in your food." He sighs as his hand went for the vegetable oil.

Nicole popped up behind Morgan, hugging onto her. "Riiight. Never step on the countertops…"

"Eh?" Morgan looked over her shoulder to find Nicole in denim jeans and a cat print t-shirt under a velvet violet Nightingale House cloak.

"Nic? Are you going to go out?" Morgan questioned.

"We still have to report to the Headmaster!" Nicole reminded her. "We'll have to leave as soon as possible."

"We can still wait for dinner, right?" Adrian asked.

He finished layering the pan with oil. His fingers flipped the oven knobs effortlessly, and with weak pyromancy, Adrian lit the oven range to life. He watched Nicole for her response as he pulled up a chopping board and a bag of onions.

"Ooh! Dinner! Yea, sure! Can I lick the batter?" Nicole skipped to the sink, watching Adrian reach for a shining silver knife.

He began to chop at the onions. "Sorry, I can't bake with the little time we have left."

The whites of the onion were diced into tiny cubes and he beat the edge of the knife at the inner onion peels, into fine zests.

"Aaaw." Nicole slooped, but then turned, trotting for the kitchen exit, grabbing Morgan's hand on the way.

"Come on! Let's play!"

"P-Play? Don't you think we're a bit old-"

"Boooooring!" Nicole interrupted.

By hand, Nicole led her out of the kitchen, only turning the corner to go into the main quarters, where Scarlet was sat all dizzy, holding the wooden pestle in her hand. The necromancer pounced on the blue and green bean bag while Morgan settled quietly on the crimson couch by the window.

Nicole stuck a finger in her mouth, deciding on- "What should we play today?"

"I-" Morgan tried to talk her out of it, but settled with just playing along.

"Oooh!" Nicole clapped her hands together. "Cute contest! Whoever summons the cutest thing, wins!"

The necromancer's hand rose up, directing its palm to the direction of the hallway. Morgan watched in confusion, trying to crack out what she was trying to do. Out of the dark hallway, came a double-edged dagger with a curved point, like a hook. A corvo knife. Nicole used it like an alternative wand, tossing it on the coffee table between the bean bag and the couch. The knife didn't clatter on the tabletop. Instead, it hovered directly above, spinning in place.

"How did you use levitation?" Morgan asked. "Furthermore, how did you use that when you couldn't even see it?"

"What are you talking about?" Nicole snorted. "The spirits got 'em for me!"

"Spir-.. Spirits?" Morgan blinked. "What spirits?"

"So you can't see 'em?"

Nicole pointed towards Morgan, which the conjurer flinched a bit. Nicole seemed like she was bickering with someone for a split second, but then she smiled back at Morgan, which she returned with an uncertain look. Suddenly, she felt something cover her eyes, but she could still see. Something was different. It took a while to process, but the blurred images refined their selves. Morgan backed away in horror as she saw a multitude of souls swarming around Nicole. Some were terrifyingly disgusting and horrid, while others were unnecessarily cute and toddler-like. There were only a few who were actually normal-looking. Morgan then noticed something pressing against the back of her head. Her head tilted back to find a child's spirit, who was covering Morgan's eyes with his or her hands. She then figured out that the child was the reason why she could see.

Morgan sputtered her words out, "Nic- N-Nicole! What is this? What're all those souls around you doing?"

"These are my friends! They help me out," Nicole explained.

"You mean these guys fought with you when we were in Unicorn Way?"

Nic shook her head. "They can't actually hurt anybody. They just like to, hang around."

Nicole shot double pistol fingers with an open smile at a ghost with a noose still around his neck, which the ghost shook his head in disappointment.

"But if they can't hurt anybody, then how did they bring the dagger to you?"

"Like I said, they're all too cute to hurt anybody," Nicole said again.

Morgan took it as, _They're all too flimsy or something to fight._

"What what are these spirits doing around you? How'd they get there in the first place-"

Nicole abruptly knocked Morg's words out of the way with her own, producing a smile, a smile that quite didn't seem right.

"My turn. To summon the cutie. I'm always first."

Morgan's eyes shook at her lips, but she nodded along.

"O-Okay…"


	10. Rattlebones Report

The curve-pointed knife spun in mid-air, half an inch above the coffee table surface, and a death rune drew itself above the spinning corvo knife. The double-edged blade suddenly came to a stop and a black-furred kitten popped out of the death rune's solidified mana. It mewed in confusion and accidently does a somersault off the corvo's grip and onto the table.

"Yay!" Nicole clapped in chipper satisfaction at her new summoning.

 _At least it wasn't some creepy baby zombie…_ Morgan thought, as she eyed the multitudes of souls around Nicole.

"Your turn!" Nicole says in excitement.

"R-Right…"

Morgan's fingers slip into the opposite arm's sleeve, pulling out a standard wand. With it, she waves it in the air like she's drawing a triangle. Sure enough, jaunite lines come together from nothingness into a myth rune. Instead of popping, the magic symbol slowly disintegrated into a snake of dust and bunching up into a singularity on the coffee table. From it, the yellow dust sculpted into a baby bat. Its fur was yellowish-white like the moon and the wings were questionable in flight, but still cute altogether as it noticed the black kitten, trying to crawl to the cat while making small squeaks.

Nicole stares at the two animals with her cheeks puffed, unable to take in all the cute in front of her eyes. Instead she just squirms around and squeals as she sprawls herself on the ground.

"Eheh…. Nic?" Morgan sits there with an unsure smile.

She raises her hands over Nicole, but nervousness stopped her altogether. The conjurer sighs instead. In the corner of her eye, Morgan finds Scarlet waking up from her dazed state. The pyromancer shakes her head and finds the tool that knocked her out; a wooden pestle. At first, Scarlet thought about throwing it at Adrian as payback, but instead she puts in on the countertop as she watches him take out some big fish.

 _He's probably gonna fish slap me…_ Scarlet thought, then turns to find Morgan and Nicole.

"Hey Morg, did you shower yet?" Scarlet called over.

The conjurer looks up from the baby bat and kitten, shaking her head gently. Her eyes return to a Nicole faceplanting into a coffee table. She leans in beside her ear.

"Um… I'm gonna go shower now…" Morgan whispered to Nic.

Nicole's muffled words sounded out, "Okay!"

Morgan's fingers went for her towel on the red leather couch and rose to her feet.

After Morgan was done showering, Scarlet was up next. Then, four met together afterwards for a quick dinner and with haste, dressed up to report to Merle Ambrose.

"Ugh… I hate going through the tunnels at night," Adrian hissed. He was dressed in a tailed longcoat with slacks, a lavender plaid waistcoat, and shiny black shoes to match.

Scarlet gave the thaumaturge a smirk. "What? Afraid of the dark?" She pulled back on the hood of her traditional Nightingale cloak.

"Well yeah! It's so cramped and dark!" Adrian looked around, not really showing his fear, except for his uncertain irises that shook.

"I- … Oh." Scarlet expect a less blatant reply.

"Ah well, you can just deal with- " She stopped in place and took a gander at the tunnel walls around her.

"Hey, you guys seeing this?" Scarlet asked.

"What?" Morgan and Nicole perked up.

"Aren't the torches usually lit up at this time around?"

Nicole and Morgan glanced at each other, considering Scarlet's statement, while Adrian was behind them, fiddling with his deck of spell cards trying to find an Illumination spell in the dark.

The winds whistled, echoing throughout the cobblestone and brick tunnel, which made Adrian grip onto his deck. A slight draft breezed through the clothes of the wizards.

"A-h-h-h-heeeyegh," Morgan shivered. "Cold."

"That must've been why the lights were out," Nicole suggested.

"Well, we can just relight the torches," Scarlet said.

"Ashen Arts: Smoke Current."

The young pyromancers hand rose up, releasing smoke and ashes. They flowed in the air like rivers or water currents in the air, by either sides of the tunnel walls. Once the smoke currents rested on the torches, Scarlet snapped her fingers, creating a spark that lit up the smoke, ultimately relighting all of the lights in the tunnel.

"See? I guess you could say that was a breeze-"

Scarlet's words came to a halt as a fierce gust swept throughout the tunnels, choking out the flames from the torches, instantly darkening the scene.

"Ooor not." Scarlet frowned.

"Hey Morgan~" Adrian managed to find the card. "Can you cast this for me? I'm no good at conjuration."

Off the corner of her eye, Morgan saw a golden treasure card floating above her shoulder.

"Sure, Adrie."

The conjurer took a look at the card, showing a picture of singularity of light.

 _Illumination_ , Morgan thought to herself. Her wand glowed within her sleeve, and the treasure card burned up into yellow flames, reforming to become a fire fly. It shined brightly in her palm.

"Thaaanks," Adrian said.

"Where'd you even get this card?" Morgan asked.

"Think a guy left it in this book I read. 'Theories of Atomos Anatomy."

"He just did not geek out on us," Scarlet scoffed.

"Neeerrrd," Nicole sang.

Adrian made a bewildered face. "What? I thought everyone knew about Democritus' Atomos-"

"Um," Morgan interrupted, trying save Adrian by changing the subject. "Let's just move on."

"Better than getting lectured on science," Scarlet agreed.

Adrian puffed his cheeks.

"I'm-not-a-nerd," he muttered.

The four young wizards made their way out of the dark, windy tunnel. They kept on about the eerie way from Ravenwood to the Commons, until moonlight shined upon their heads and they watched the stars hung by Grandmother Raven while continuing on the cobblestone path to the Headmaster's Office.

_Knock knock knock._

The starry, pointed purple hat behind the mountains of paperwork, twitched at the sound of the door. The mountains of paperwork glittered in magic as they moved aside for Merle Ambrose to answer the knocking.

Merle started to speak, "Do come in-"

The door bursted open as the four novice fell into the room. Befuddled, Ambrose watched as the four got up and dusted themselves off.

"That's the last time you'll try to summon snacks!" Scarlet complained.

"Didn't you have enough to eat back at the dorms?"

"Dinner time was too short!" Nicole complained.

"I-…." The Headmaster raised a finger. "Pardon me but, how does summoning snacks lead up to this commotion?"

"Tried to summon it from a magical pocket I guess," Nicole shrugged. "My spellbook's backpack was full."

"Why was it full?" Adrian questioned.

"Remember that ice beetle you summoned back then in Unicorn Way?"

"What, you actually kept it?"

"SSSHHH!" Nicole's arms flapped around. "Her name is Sir Cuddly Icy Poofybutt!"

"You…" Morgan raised an eyebrow. "Okay the name's a thing, but it was actually a she-beetle and you named her a sir?"

Scarlet cleared her throat loudly to silence her friends. "ANYWAYS, we're back from Unicorn Way with a report, Headmaster."

Ambrose waved it away. "I hear that you have found a solution to the Fairy corruption. Unfortunately, Wizard City is not out of peril just yet. All is at risk!"

"Well yeah, that's what we came to tell you," Scarlet explained.

The pyromancer informs the Headmaster about Rattlebones and his words.

A hand stroked down Ambrose's white, fluffy beard as he stacked thoughts upon Scarlet's report.

"So, Malistaire has designs on bringing Wizard City to its knees? This does not bode well. We still need to be on guard lest his evil plans succeed. Thank you, Nightingale girls, for all that you have done."

"And guy!" Nicole frantically points at Adrian.

"Is this really necessary?" Adrian complained.

"Ahah, apologies, Kensington."

A smile formed under the Headmaster's thick beard.

"But alas, another apology. These dark forces at work recent has indeed made things… disorderly. I do not believe your enrollment was fully organized, Adrian. Am I right?"

The thaumaturge tilts his head and nods.

"As you should know," Ambrose went on, "There are seven magic instructors here in Ravenwood. You should visit each of them to get to know them better. I'll send an upperclassman to guide you on your little tour next morning."

"Um…" Adrian looks around awkwardly at his friends, then back at the Headmaster. "Alright, sure."

The Headmaster tries to reassure Adrian with a smile, but was hidden under his snow-white beard.

"Now young wizards, please listen here," he called out.

The four leaned their ears in.

"Please do keep this situation about Rattlebones and Malistaire in utmost confidential. I fear if word gets out, the students of Ravenwood will fall to panic," Ambrose explained.

"But," Scarlet perked up. "We're only novices. We handled our quest well. There are bound to be students stronger than us. They should be able to handle this whole evil thing too."

"Well, dear students. I'm not sure if you should take this for good news but, you four are already proven to be stronger than most initiates; a rare occurrence in centuries. I hope this continues, for most students in Ravenwood do not have the same fighting ability as you four do. Magic dueling and magic battles are two different things."

Ambrose's eyes turned to his crystal ball, showing a bit of worry.

"There are few students here in Ravenwood that can prove their worth in magic battles, a situation where your lives are on the line. While in magic duels; you only feel the sensation of your opponents' spells, and not the pain and damage."

Stress built up in Morgan's eyebrows as she heard the words. "You mean, we are the only ones who can do this thing? This… stop-the-evil-rebel-professor-thing?"

The headmaster shook his head. "No, but you four, are the ones I trust with this evil plan in motion."

"Hey! You hear that? We can save Wizard City!" Scarlet smiled back at her friends. "We're like the strongest in Ravenwood!"

Ambrose shook his head frantically. "Not the strongest, my dear. You are the only ones who can do it. No, let me rephrase; who _could_ do it. But let me remind you, when the time calls… You four, along with a few others, are the only hope for Wizard City."

"But," Morgan thought. "Why can't the other professors join in on this thing?"

The Headmaster shook his head again. "No. We of the Ravenwood Faculty, must keep the students in order and keep the peace, lest the students panic and Wizard City falls into chaos."

Scarlet spoke up, "Why don't we get all the students in on this? More strength in numbers, right?"

"I'm afraid if we do…" Ambrose turns to his crystal once again, with the image of Ravenwood shimmering within. "If we do put the students into the ranks… It is all too risky. Their studies are not enough to prepare themselves to what is to come. Malistaire's strength in magic is a force to be reckoned with."

Merle turned to the four young wizards with a flame of determination in his eye left uncovered by his monocle.

"Young wizards, you must become stronger. Harden your magic beyond your studies. Worst comes to worst, you may have to achieve power stronger than the instructors of Ravenwood."

Morgan gulped in fear. Adrian hands clenched in. Scarlet's heart was mixed with accelerating excitement and distress. Even Nicole held a dismayed shine in her eyes.

"Young wizards…" Ambrose said.

"The Looms of Fate has either spelled glory, or tribulation upon you."


	11. The Other Guy in the Girls' Dorms

Her eyelids struggled to open. Scarlet's amber eyes barely slipped a peek through them, then was finally able to see the ceiling in the dark. She sighs under her blanket and digs the back of her head into her pillow, trying to find the time out of the window.

"It's night… or before dawn?" she mumbled to herself.

She blindly guides her hand to her endtable, reaching for a stick wrapped in fine cloth and silk. Once the wand slipped in her hands, Scarlet strikes the tip toward where the clock would be. Sure enough, the clock was high on the wall, glowed, showing silhouettes of the clock's hands.

"Five-fourty," she thought to herself aloud.

Scarlet uncovered herself of her blanket. She was in her yellow-starred red pajamas. Out of the corner of her eye, she finds a dim light. Scarlet turns her head over to her left side, finding Adrian awake in his bed. He was in a pirate blouse and red, plaid boxers, with some kind of glowing, floating crystal near him as he read a book. On the cover, it says Quantum Gateways to Slip-space, by H.G. Waggs and The Professor.

"Adriaaaan…." Scarlet moaned. " You're the first one up. You were supposed to wake us up. It's five-fourty."

Adrian barely rotated his head to find a drowsy pyromancer in her bed. "Oh, sorry. I got caught up in this book."

"What time did you wake up?"

Adrian chuckles nervously. "Actually, I didn't sleep at all."

Scarlet was too tired to be surprised. "Seriously? Was it because what the Headmaster said about us and saving Wizard City?"

"Naw. I thought I would read a bit then I lost track of time."

"You don't even know what a pervert is, then you lose track of time over a book. You clearly aren't natural."

"I didn't expect so," Adrian shrugged."

Scarlet squints at the light by Adrian. "By the way, what's that floaty glowy thingy by you?"

"Oh this? Is just a toy," Adrian summed up lazily.

Suddenly, the 'toy' chirped and made sounds like distorted raindrops.

"Yeah yeah, shut up," Adrian moaned into his book.

Scarlet got up on her arms. "Did that thingy just say something? You understood that?"

"T'was telling me to go sleep over and over, then to wake you guys up," Adrian shrugged.

"Guess you had better listen to that 'toy' more often," Scarlet smirked.

"I guess." Adrian sighs and shuts his book. His eyes went up again to the clock. "Five fourty two… Welp, I might as well start making breakfast."

His attention then shifts to his floating reading light. "Dorothy, off. Oh and hide yerself in the cloak and go offline."

The crystal thing did as it was told, then made more distorted sounds of raindrops dropping and warped scratches.

"Where'd you even get that?" Scarlet asked.

"I made it a while back. I guess it's more of a pet than a toy if you will."

Adrian swoops his head a bit, swinging his silver bangs out of the way then got out off his bed, making his way to the kitchen.

"Well… I think I should wake 'em up now," Scarlet thought aloud.

She turns to the bed adjacent to Adrian's. "Morgan! Wake up!"

The cobalt and yellow nightcap fell off Morgan as she moaned and sat up, then Scarlet switched to the bed next to her's, calling for Nicole to wake up as well. One of her green eyes popped open, and another one follows. Nicole the Necromancer instantly sprung out of bed like a spring under pressure for centuries, with a smile not even a theurgist could match. She was in pajamas with a bunny eared hood .

She yelled in excitement, "BREAKFAST TIIIIIIME-"

"Is not ready," Adrian's voice said from out of the room.

"Aw… Buzzkill."

Nicole plops back in her bed and instantly went to snoring, to which Scarlet slaps her back hard.

"Come on, sunshine," Scarlet irked. "Wake up!"

"EEEK!" Nicole flashes out of bed, rubbing her back and makes haste for the bathroom. But she comes back, slowly walking backwards into the doorway, grabbing her towel, then made haste for the bathroom.

"The showers…" Scarlet thought. "Hey Morgan, do want next shower?"

"Hmm?" Morgan finally got up to sit on the side of her bed, rubbing the sleeps out of her eyes. "If it's okay with you. You were the last of us to shower last night, weren't you?"

"No, Adrian was last," Scarlet answered. "Besides, I have a few things to do. Prep my hair up, you know."

"I took you to be more of a tomboy or something, Scarly."

"Keep up appearances, keep up your charisma, keep up your confidence, keep down those fizzle rates. What Professor Falmea taught us," Scarlet recalled.

"Makes sense I guess." Morgan shrugs and yells subtly out the doorway. "Adrian! Do you wanna shower after Nicole?"

"Not showering!" Adrian yelled back. Morgan could faintly hear a spoon beating against a bowl as he responded.

Scarlet rolls her eyes. "Boys. Showering like what, only once a day. Monkeys."

Morgan smiles, shaking her head and chuckling, "He's already so fine, that he doesn't have to be worried about how he looks," she thinks aloud.

"See, I told you. You like Adrian," Scarlet teased.

"I do not!"

The doorbell rang only so faintly that Scarlet and Morgan were able to hear it. They both went to answer it, sliding the chain and turning the dial on the knob. The ornate, violet-mahogany door opened to reveal a light but bright blue haired boy in a dark blue cloak. His skin was slightly dark. His eyes matched his hair, only being more content with cerulean, but his hat hung over, covering his left eye in shadow.

"A guy? In the girls' dormitory? What are you doing here," Scarlet scoffed.

The blue-haired person turned a bit bashful, or at least seemed like it. "I'm here for the other guy in the girl's dormitory."

"Huh?" Morgan looked back to the kitchen, then to the guy. "You mean Adrian? Adrian Kensington?"

"Pfft, Adrian's been the talk of the school ever since he's moved in here," Scarlet commented.

"Someone called?" Sure enough, the silver-haired thaumaturge appeared around the corner with a spatula in one hand, and a pan in the other. The frying pan still had an omelet being cooked on it.

"Whaaaaat? He cooks for you guys?" the blue-haired wizard gawked.

"Heh." Scarlet gave the newcomer a teasing smile. "Jealous?"

"For a second, I thought that guy was a girl! With that high voice and hair," the blue haired guy commented. "Only he's like more… hunky? And… he's in boxers."

"We got used to it," Morgan shrugs, but then glances over to Scarlet in realization. "Well, not everyone."

"Who's the new guy?" Adrian questioned.

"Uh yeah, Headmaster Ambrose sent me to give you a tour of Ravenwood and a few parts of Wizard City," the boy explained. "My name is Alexander Mythshade, of the Golden Perytons. You guys can call me Alex if you'd like."

"Mythshade… Myth, shade." Morgan repeated. "W-Wait, you mean you're the elite initiate conjurer, Alexander Mythshade?"

"Eheh…" Alex rubs the back of his neck. "Yeah."

"What's the deal with him?" Scarlet asked indignantly.

"Elite initiate, Scarlet. He's one of the four elite initiate wizardly students! That includes the prefect of the Green Peregrines!"

"Ooooh," Scarlet nodded. "So? Besides, what's an initiate doing being a prefect?"

"That just goes to show how strong Ashley is. Ashley Breeze," Alex answered.

"Yyyyyeah, I'm only a novice so this is my first year here. Don't know these 'famous' students." Scarlet smirks. "And I don't plan to know them. I'm gonna surpass them all."

Alex left behind his bashful demeanor, scoffing and returning the confident grin. "Have fun getting past Ashley. She's not a person you'd want to fight."

"Oh yeah?" Scarlet steps up to Alex. "Where's this pal of yours, bud? Prefect or not, I'll own 'em all."

"Heh, you'd have to get through three of us before you step up to Ash, bud."

"Scarleeeet," Morgan hissed. "Staaahp."

"Yyyyyyeaaah well," Adrian looks around lazily. "I'm kind of busy here. Still making breakfast soooo…"

The thaumaturge steps back into the kitchen, whistling a tune.

"I'm so sorry for Scarlet's behavior, Mister Alex." Morgan steps in between Alex and Scarlet, nudging Scarlet away.

"Eh. Don't worry about it," Alex says. "I like her spirit."

"Damn right, you do," Scarlet smiled.

"Scarlet!" Morgan hissed again. "Well anyways, Alexander, why don't you join us for dinner?"

"R-Really?" Alex looks over Morgan's shoulder to see the rest of the dorm. It was spacious and elegant with a nice window behind a leather couch. There was also a crystal-vision mirror above the fireplace.

"I'm fine really. I can manage-" Alexander's belly grumbled.

"Sounds like you didn't have breakfast." Scarlet says. "It's not good to fight on an empty stomach next time you're up against me~"

"Heh," Alex smirks and walks in. "Alright, thanks for the meal then. Oh and for your lil' challenge, I'll bite."

Alex paused with a smile, waiting for someone to get his joke.

"Anyone?"

"You're worse than my friends," Scarlet laughed.

After the girls were done with showering and dressing, they met up at the dining table with Alex. Scarlet wore the standard off-day uniform, a black sweater vest with the Ravenwood emblem on it with a light red, long-sleeved shirt under to match her magic school colors. Normally, girls would wear skirts but she chose tight, black pants instead. Morgan styled herself in a pink, flower-print shirt with a grey, loose, long-sleeved cardigan over it. For bottom wear, she had a black short skirt with the pink-laced ends with plaid, pink and dark red thigh high socks. Nicole wore a black t-shirt with a band on it and ripped jeans, an outfit that Wizard City isn't so familiar with. Adrian was finishing setting down the last dish. The table was lined with five plates of omelette-style Valencian toast with raspberries and cabbage-rolled shrimp. On the side was apple slices in mint custard, and placed in the middle was brioche à la cannlle au chocolat; chocolate cinnamon rolls. They were all lined up as if the dorm had 50 butlers from Barkingham Palace.

"This is ridiculous," Alex stared in disbelief.

"Heh! I don't think you'll get service like this anywhere else!" Scarlet bragged, nudging Alex with an elbow.

"How… How does he even know who to- …."

Adrian was wiping his hands with a white towel with his loose sleeves rolled up. "It was a good childhood being locked up in your room with nothing but books," Adrian said, shrugging.

Morgan smiled delight and had her hands together pressed to her chest, giggling lightly. "The food is certainly good. Please, enjoy," she beckoned to the table.

Scarlet waited for Alex to sit politely, while she was holding Nicole back, who was jumping and drooling for the food. Soon, the rest sat at the table, except for Adrian, who went to get dressed.

"Well," Alex starts, as he bites off a piece of Valencian toast. "At least I have half the day off with showing the new guy around Wizard City."

"We get the whole day off~" Scarlet grins.

"Whaaat. This food, now the whole day off? What did you guys do to deserve this?"

"Well, Adrian is just doing his thing, and yesterday… Well, we worked really, really hard, I guess. The Headmaster let us off today," Scarlet explains.

"We fought ghosties and skellies in Unicorn Way!" Nicole blurted out, with her mouth full.

Scarlet and Morgan stared Nicole, who had disobeyed Ambrose's order to not say anything about Unicorn Way.

"Wait," Alex paused. "So you were the guys who were sent to Unicorn Way?"

"Uh…." Morgan settled down her silverware. "Yeah."

"So there rumors were true. You guys must be pretty strong then," Alex suggested.

Scarlet determines it was safe to talk about the subject. "I burned 'em all up!" she boasted. "Those blankets and bones can't handle this hot stuff~"

"So what happened other than you guys battling away the ghosts and skeletons?" Alex asked.

"Eheh… Well we aren't exactly supposed to tell anyone," Morgan says apologizingly.

Alexander 's eyes… well only visible eye, tried to figure out why, but he shakes it off and tries the chocolate cinnamon roll. The taste melted all over the yearning taste buds.

"My god, this is amazing!" He shivered to the overwhelming sweetness.

"Heeey Morgan, can I have your shrimps?" Nicole asked in a cute voice.

Morgan nodded and slid her plate to Nicole, which the necromancer took it up and let the cabbage-rolled shrimp slide onto her plate.

"Yummy!" Nicole chirped.

"So guys," Scarlet started. "What should we do with our free day?"

"Hallowe'en is coming soon," Morgan said. "We could go to the Shopping District to get the festivities!"

"Yeah, that could work," Scarlet nodded. "What about you Nic?"

"Pet snacks for Sir Fluffy Icybutt!" Nicole yelled, raising a fork.

"I don't think that's what you named the ice beetle," Morgan mumbles.

"I don't care! Sir Chirps Snowybutt the Sexiest Cheeks!"

"The ice beetle is a girl-" Morgan stops herself, telling herself it was not worth it. "Alright, Sir Chirps it is."

Alex looks weirdly at Nicole then turned to Scarlet like he was saying What's with her?

I don't know, Scarlet shrugged.

Adrian came out of the dark hallway and pulled in by the table for breakfast. He was finely dressed in black slacks, dress shirt, and plaid, lavender waistcoat with a short, dark, navy blue cloak on his shoulder and down his back.

"Hey, so are you ready for your tour of Wizard City-slash-Ravenwood?" Alexander asked.

"Hmm? Oh, yeah. Sure." He smiles at Alex but then looks down to a flipped-open chain watch and puts it away within his waistcoat. "How long do you suppose the tour will take?"

"Half of the school day? Four hours I suppose, then I go back to my classes," Alex shrugs.

"Oh, jaunty-time," Adrian settled, but then went for his silverware so he could eat.

"So I'm guessing you're a conjurer," Scarlet points out.

"What else could I be? Mythshade. Peculiar name Mister Ambrose gave me. Or Book of Secrets," Alex rambled. "Eh. I don't believe I know you girls' names."

"What?" Scarlet gave him an accusing look. "Trying to pick up some girls-"

Morgan coughed and stared down Scarlet, which she rolled her eyes and lazied back into her seat.

"My name is Scarlet Night. Pyromancer, novice, and swords- Eh, nevermind."

Morgan sipped into her tea and cleared her throat. "Morgan Mistblade. Also a conjurer. Novice. Marleybonian."

Nicole jumped up in her seat and raised her hand. "Ooh! Ooh!"

Alexander looked around, then tilted his head at Nicole. "Umm, you." He points at her.

"My name's Nicole Soulthief. I'mma necromancer and part-time theurgist! Novice, and uh… I'm Earthling… I dunno if that sounds right. How about just from Earth?"

"Wow," Alexander gawked. "I'm from Earth too!"

"What's Earth like?" Scarlet asked.

"There's no magic," Alex says.

"Everything there is like… runs on electricity; a lot more technological than the worlds of the Spiral. Also waaaaay much bigger!" Nicole adds on.

She spreads her arms apart to raise her point.

"Technology?" Adrian perked up.

"Hey Adrie! Why don't you introduce yourself Alex? You know, like all formal," Morgan suggests.

"Um well," Adrian turns to the side to find Alex. "My name is Adrian Faulkner Kensington. Thaumaturge and part necromancer. Also a frost and tempest magician. Novice, I guess. Marleybonian."

"Frost? Tempest? Magician?" Alex stumbles at the new terms.

"Wysterian stuff," Adrian shrugs.

"I don't like those Wysterian folk too much," Scarlet complains. "They don't make up to be what they say."

Adrian nods. "A bunch of cheaters, really."

"Heh, I bet that's why they keep winning the Spiral Cup," Alex scoffs.

"Spiral Cup?" Morgan questions.

"Every year, they hold a tournament Spiral-wide. Each school of magic sends a representative to duel it out," Alexander explains.

"I'm not much for dueling. I'd rather battle," Adrian mutters.

"I'm going to have to agree with Adrian on that one," Scarlet agrees.

"I wonder if Headmaster Ambrose will consider that idea," Alex muses. "After all, there is no lifelines in magic battles."

Scarlet and Adrian share an unnatural smile.

Adrian's fingers tapped on the table with unrest. "Fighting with your life on the line?"

"What could be more thrilling than that?" Scarlet finished his words.

Alexander and Morgan stares at Scarlet and Adrian. They both had feelings of worry and disturbance in their eyes, while Nicole kept stuffing herself with omelet toast and shrimp, making sounds of satisfaction.

"Hey, we should spar sometime," Scarlet suggests.

Adrian glances over to his pyromantic friend and raises a fist toward her. "Bump on it, when we can."

Scarlet went along with the brofist. Morgan watched the two, wondering if they always had this spirit of battle, then peeks a bit at Nicole gobbling down her food like a hearty queen.

"Scarlet, like, you were hesitant to go to Unicorn Way," Morgan pointed out. "Now, youwant to get into stuff?"

"Hey, you know, I've never battled before. I've only just cast spells for the class. It was boring."

"But you know, you'll get hurt and stuff."

"Battling like that really fires you up, don't you know? Adventuring onto the dangerous streets, or even in another world! Live tomorrow without knowing what's going to happen!"

Morgan paused, and then brings up the words of gallows. "But, you could die!"

"So?" Adrian put blatantly.

"So? It's your lives we're talking about!" Morgan went on.

Scarlet pops a custard-dipped apple slice into Morgan's lips, silencing her. "We know the risks, Morg. That's why we know that if we fight, we put our all into it. Besides, we're on the quest to save Wizard City, so of course we're going to risk our lives."

Morgan pressures on the subject with thought, then nods along.

"Now eat up, we got the day ahead of us," Scarlet smiled. She pushes in the rest of the apple slice past Morgan's lips with a finger, only to make Alex, at the other side of the table, blush into his food, but then immediately noticed their recent words.

"Hold on now," Alex poked in. "Save Wizard City? Quest?"

"Ooooooh," Scarlet sounded in realization.

"Mister Ambrose, he told us that- Excuse me," Nicole swallows down her toast. "Mister Ambrose told us that we were one of the only ones who could save Wizard City!"

"Really? But you're novices! You guys are only like a quarter of a year into your studies," Alexander pointed out.

"That's what we said too," Morgan explained. "But, we aren't total novices. I mean sure, we only demonstrated rank one spells in class but I'm sure we all had some playing around with magic before Ravenwood."

Morgan glances next to Scarlet. "She's got a way with wielding a sword."

"H-Hey," Scarlet says surprised.

Morgan then points to Adrian. "He's been to Pigswick and already made up a bunch of magic of his own.

Adrian sheepishly waves, but his face doesn't really show it.

"And Nicole…" Morgan stares at the spirits that were still around her. "She was able to easily cast multiple dark fairies and ghouls."

"Mamphs wimph!" Nicole spoke with her mouth full: That's right!

Adrian looks to Morgan. "And Morgan here, from what I gathered, she can create anything from imagination. It's impressive."

"W-Well not everything," Morgan blushed.

Alex mouths 'wow' or something. "It would take a great deal of mana to create something big," he assumed. "A batch of unique wizards this year."

"You really think so?" Morgan asks.

Alexander nods approvingly and Scarlet smiles off in the corner.

"Well, it was a good breakfast," Scarlet says. "I think we should get going."

"This is more than a breakfast, this is practically a buffet," Alex comments.

"Moms told me that a big breakfast and smaller meals afterwards means always being fit," Adrian throws out, and Morgan nods along.

"Really?" Alex slid back in his chair and crossed his legs. "I'll keep that in mind. But I can't help myself if there's good food."

"I can see what you mean," Scarlet chuckles, as her eyes turned to Nicole, who was still eating up as much as she can.

"Where do you think all that food goes if she's skinny all the time?" Morgan asks in wonder.

"Probably her breasts," Scarlet blurts.

"But she has a small bust," Alex points out.

"Why are we talking about this?" Morgan blushes harder.

"I think she's part humongofrog," Adrian says, a bit intrigued.

"The booty. It all goes to the booty," Scarlet says, letting her fist fall into her palm like she just figured something out.

"Scarlet!" Morgan stammers.

Adrian perks up from his train of thought. "Are you going to be a pirate for Hallowe'en, Scarlet?"

"I dunno, but I'd better swab that deck for the booty," Alexander snickers. "AAAAAAAAY! L'mao."

Scarlet snickers along. Morgan's face grew steaming red, while Nicole also goes ahead and says," AAAAAAY! L'mao."

"L'mao?" Adrian and Morgan asks in unison.

"They're probably both part cat," Scarlet laughs.

"Brah," Nicole says, somehow sitting next to Alex with an arm on his shoulder. "The memes, bruh."

"Aw, should've bring sunglasses for this," Alexander laughs.

"Earth people are weird," Scarlet says as she gets up with her plate.

"W-W-W-Wait, hold on," Nicole says, sliding back on her chair. She immediately pops up on her feet and twists to see down and behind.

"Well, the booty looks quite fine."

Morgan sighs. Her fingers massage the bridge of her nose as she looks down with eyes closed, feeling disappointed. Alex's blush burns even brighter at the sight and looks away, as Adrian chuckles along, not really knowing what was going on with the whole 'booty' business. The five finished cleaning their plates and finally finished dressing up for the fall weather outside.

Alex goes up to the door, but then glances back, "Ready for the little tour, Adrian?"

"You're the guide," Adrian shrugged and smiled. The young thaumaturge also looks behind . "Hey guys, where are you going to be at… say twelve o' clock?"

The words grab at Morgan's attention then she discusses the matter with Scarlet.

"I think we'll be… around Eudora Tangletree's Shop in Olde Town," Scarlet answers.

Adrian glances back to Alex, "So I guess we finish the tour there?"

The initiate conjuror shrugs. "It works."

The two guys open the door and leaves into the hallways of the Nightingale Girls' Dormitory. Nicole still had a shrimp in her mouth as she struggled to pull a boot up her leg on the couch, consequently falling backwards like a klutz. A giggle escape Morgan's lips as she caught sight of Nicole's little trip-up.

"So girls," Morgan calls. "I think we all agree to going to Pet Pavillion first? For uh…"

"Sir Chirps Snowybutt the Sexiest Cheeks?" Scarlet finishes.

"How did you even manage to remember that?"

"Who couldn't?

"Me obviously, and what's with 'the Sexiest Cheeks?' I don't recall ice beetles having cheeks."

"Ah, but her other pair of cheeks!" Nicole chimes in.

"Oh…" Morgan pouts on it. "OH."

"C'mon guys," Scarlet calls for the two. "Let's just gather our crowns and do the shopping already. "

"Hallowe'en isn't going to wait for us."


	12. A Challenge is Made

"Here you go!"

A girl in magenta robes with blonde, rounded pigtails, hands a large, rectangular box to Nicole.

"Here are the packs of rock candy and fried worms for your ice beetle," Jackie Whisperflame says.

"Please, do come again to the West Ende Girls Pet Snack Shop," a masked girl in white and green robes says. On her name tag, was Dusty Shadowcloud.

"Thanks!" Nicole calls back to them. The necromancer walks out of the snack shop with the cumbersome box, to find Scarlet and Morgan outside, observing the different pets lined up for derby races. Nicole trots up to them and lets her miniature spellbook plop out from her pocket. The book grows in size, way bigger than a thick dictionary.

"Guys, help me fit this box into my backpack," Nicole requests.

"Here, let me carry it. Open your backpack," Scarlet offers.

Nicole lets the big box onto Scarlet's hand, and then takes her staff from Morgan. The spiraled end of the staff touched the pages of Nicole's open spellbook, and a portal opens.

"Yeah, yep, that's right. Lower," Nicole says, as she gets up to guide Scarlet, who was setting down the oversized pet snack box into the portal to Nicole's magic backpack. It was a snug fit, but after some hard work, Nicole, Morgan, and Scarlet managed to stuff the big box into the backpack's portal.

"So pet snacks are done," Morgan says as she crosses it off her mental list. "Next is for us to buy bats and cobwebs and such for the dorms."

"So to Spooky Bob's wagon we go?" Scarlet suggests.

The conjurer nods. The three girls make their way out of Pet Pavillion through the tunnel. As they come out, the three find that dawn was no longer and the sun peeked from the horizon, starting to take off its orange drapes. The Commons wasn't too crowded. Students were hanging out by the lamp posts. The old seagull was fishing by the Rainbow Bridge, humming with a piece of straw hanging by his beak. It was more than quiet enough for the birds to tweet their songs. Morgan, Nic, and Scarlet made their way through the tunnel by the Headmaster's place, and out into the Shopping District. It was like village with shops lined up on the sides of the streets, with clotheslines decorated with clothes and Hallowe'en décor above. They approached a skeleton dressed in fine, but torn clothes, silent and inanimate as he lay on the streets, propped up on a wheel of a gypsy's schooner, a prairie wagon. It had an orange cover and purple, peltogyne wood for the wagon bed. Spooky Bob the Skeleton, stirred in his rest. His bony fingers grasped at his pumpkin staff, and he rose onto his feet. His voice was like a scarecrow's and eyes void of light.

"Welcome, children, to my shop!" Spooky Bob invited.

The skeleton walked towards Scarlet and her friends in an enticingly unbalanced manner.

"May I interest you in costumes? Decorations? Wands? Staves? Heheh… Candy?"

"Decorations! Bats! Cobwebs! Banner ish thingies! And… yeah! Costumes!" Nicole chanted. "Oh and by any chance, do you have neon lightsticks?"

"Neon?" Bob asks. "Well, I do not know what this neon is, but I do have lightsticks, along with the other goods you have requested for!"

The skeleton vendor snaps his fingers toward his wagon, or at least tries, as he had no skin to make the sound from. At the barely audible sound of his finger bones grinding, banners started flying out of his wagon like snakes, with bags of cobweb and bats. Tombstones popped out of the ground around the wagon, lawn decoration ghosts floated out from its stores like authentic specters, even bags with a witches and broomsticks inside went on display. _Witches Crashing into a Pole Pack_ was what it said on the label. Metal sticks with clothes hangers on them hovered around the wizardly three, and costumes of all sorts materialized on the clothes hangers.

"Feel free to browse! But as always, you come here for my goods, I come here for your crowns!" Spooky Bob says with a peppy tone.

"But tis certainly shame this Hallowe'en season. All the streets are blocked off because of these dark times. It was miraculous that Unicorn Way reopened yesterday evening! Now if the same could be said about Colossus Boulevard and the Three Streets…"

"Don't worry!" Nicole chimed.

Spooky Bob's head perked up. "Hrm?"

Nicole glanced back at her friends with a smile, then back to Bob. "I'm sure someone will come and save the streets."

"Well," Spooky Bob says, crossing his arms. "I do hope such things happen! But anyways, enough with this gloomy, mushy atmosphere! Go! Go! Did you not come here for Hallowe'en supplies?"

Scarlet starts to speak. "Well yeah but-"

The skeleton swings his arm behind him, displaying two large booths with doors and locks.

"Go ahead, try the costumes. There are dressing rooms ready for you! I actually remembered to bring 'em this Hallowe'en! I don't have much of a memory because I've no brain! Bwahahahaha!"

"That joke was worse than Alex's," Scarlet muttered.

The three gathered all the supplies as needed. Bags of candy were also bought to hand out during Hallowe'en, but Nicole kept drooling over the bag, so that was a no. With the remaining free time, they browsed to try out different costumes.

"How's this?" Scarlet stood triumphantly with cutlass in hand, worn out boots, striped Elizabethen breeches, pirate blouse, and all that. A terror of the seas. A pirate.

"Needs more belts," Morgan suggested.

Scarlet gathers a bunch more belts of leather and tassels, having about five around her hip, one from her shoulder, and twelve around her neck. "How about now?"

"Perf," Nic and Morgan say in unison.

Nicole had a black, hooded, torn cloak like a wraith's. The wings were well made but the only exception was… She had bunny ears to top her crown and giant paws. A bunny wraith.

"I am now the queen of everything," Nicole announced, proud of her costume taste.

"Where's your scythe?" Scarlet asked.

"Oh I've got that taken care of~" Nicole sticks out a tongue and giggles mischievously.

Morgan's costume was probably the most normal of all, though it was the complete opposite of what a student of balance would wear. Morgan wore a loose blouse under a burgundy corset with golden cogs and clockwork embroidery on it. She wore thin, striped trousers with the left leg cut off. On that leg was a dark red knee sock. Both feet had tall, leather boots and on her left hip had half a short skirt. Her outfit was finished with long, burgundy gloves and a top hat with goggles. She was like a steampunk Mad Hatter. Scarlet whistles at the look, while Nicole gawked at how fine the costume was.

"It doesn't fit you, but you look totally awesome in it," Scarlet approved with an eager smile.

Morgan giggles into her wrist. "When I was little, my aunt joined an expedition to a strange world sunken in water. I've always wanted to be an explorer like her. But, now I'm a wizard. Although, we're still going places I guess."

She takes off her top hat. "We're going to save Wizard City before Hallowe'en. We aren't going to have our season ruined, right?"

"I won't let anybody take my candy!" Nicole shouted with a strong fist.

"Heh, we can bet on that," Scarlet smirked with a sparkling incisor.

"Hey, y'know, we haven't got a costume for Adrian yet," Nicole brought up.

"Well you know how he wears all that aristocratic clothing?" Scarlet asks. "He could be a vampire!"

"Hmm," Morgan thought on it. "Well he has silver hair. He could also make a good angel!"

"I guess we can just bring both for him to try out," Nicole suggested.

"We can buy one of his costumes and put the other on his tab. He says he has lots of crowns anyways," Scarlet plans.

"But we didn't ask Adrian," Morgan pointed out.

"Knowing him, eeeeh, I'm sure he won't mind," Scarlet smiles. "Now c'mon, we have to get out of these costumes and check 'em out."

"Well…" Morgan held a worried look. "Alright then, but if he gets upset, it's all on you."

"Pfft, you like him but you know him less than me!"

"Scarlet!"

The three get back into their normal outfits through the changing booths then checks out the transaction with Spooky Bob.

"That'll be one hundred 'n twenty one crowns, m'dears," Spooky Bob confirms as he spins his pumpkin staff, leaning on a cash register on a table.

"Ooh, that's a lot. It must be the costumes," Scarlet summed up. The pyromancer brings up the crowns that were distributed from the three of them plus Adrian and a bit extra from Scarlet in place for Adrian's second costume.

"Hundred ten, fifteen… twenty!" Scarlet grabs a wad of crowns out of the bundle and hands it to the skeleton salesman.

"Would've been easier if you had a credit card," Nicole murmured as she rubbed her bunny ears on her cheek.

"What's a credit card?" asked Morgan.

"Eh.. Nevermind."

"Probably just Earth stuff," Scarlet assumed, which she was right. "Well, it's two before noon. You guys want to head back to the dorms to rest a bit?"

"Sure~" Morgan and Nicole says in unison.

Morgan crouches down with a glittering piece of chalk that she must've summoned. With it, she draws an X within a circle on the cobblestone street, and then places her palm on it, transferring her mana into the chalk marks.

"What are you doing?" Scarlet asks.

"Setting down a marker, that way, I can just teleport back so we can continue to Eudora's Crafting Shop in Olde Town from here," Morgan explains.

"Smart," Scarlet shrugs.

"I suggest you guys should do the same," Morgan adds in.

The pyromancer and necromancer follows along, repeating after Morgan.

Scarlet frowns and huffs, "How do I activate the marker like you did, Morg?"

Nicole already got the idea of how to do it, but she ends up making the chalk poof into a cloud of chalk, making her cough.

"Eck," Nicole coughed.

"Guys," Morgan called. "You've got to think something like, _'I want to come back here'_. Now imagine those words in a bubble of mana, flowing from your brain, through your arms, out the palm of your hand, and into the chalk."

"Worth a try," Scarlet shrugs. "Hold on, then what did Nicole do?"

"I just figured I let my mana into the chalk like Morg said," Nicole explains, as she successfully imbues mana into her chalk marker.

"Hold on now…" Morgan eyes Nicole with caution. "Using the marker teleportation spell eats up like a quarter of your mana store. If you overflown your chalk marker like that, then you must've used like seventy percent!"

"Really?" Nicole questions. "Didn't feel like any mana was used."

Morgan's blue eyes widened, wondering how large Nicole's mana store was. Wait, no. It wasn't how much mana Nicole had within her but-

"It's how well she can control her mana," Morgan thought aloud.

"Ah, enough with this nerdy stuff," Scarlet complains.

The pyromancer struggles a bit, but manages to visualize her mana-encased words seep into the chalk marker.

"Got it."

 _On the other hand, Scarlet doesn't seem to have good mana control_ , Morgan hypothesizes.

Immediately, the conjurer gets up on her feet. "Come on; let's get back to the dorms.

"You play cricket, as the team captain?" Adrian asks as he looks up to the centre newsboard, in front of the Bartleby.

"Yeah," Alexander Mythshade says, as he rubs the back of his neck. "Ravenwood is uh… not the best in cricket."

"Your team is dead last in the Spiral in terms of ranking," Adrian says, without really thinking.

"Aaaah, yeah…" Alex chuckles nervously. "But we never give up."

"Can I join?" Adrian asks.

"W-Wait, what?" Alexander likes at the thaumaturge bewildered. "You actually want to join?"

"Sure, why not? I think I should get a break from my hobbies anyways. I'm a good thrower and runner."

"Well, after seeing your physique, I can't argue," Alex chuckles. "You know how to play?"

"Ahah… well no." Adrian shrugs. "I've seen it in the papers. You bat the ball, you run, you catch and throw the ball. It all seems simple."

"It's a difficult game, actually." Alex warns. "And the guys on our team… Let's just say they aren't too athletic, like wizards naturally are."

"I'm just looking for another activity to engage in, that's all," Adrian puts simply.

"Alright then…"

Alex looks to the sun beginning to shine its orange rays through the leaves of the Great Tree.

"You're going to have to get a physical in the infirmary first. Like, they check to see if you're fit," Alex explains.

"Fair enough, I just need to learn the game," Adrian sums up.

Footsteps sound and the two wizards turn to see a dog in fine clothes, a dapper coat, top hat, monocle, with a cane and suitcase in his hands.

"Ah, I see two students eager for my classes." The dog tipped his hat as he made his way to a footlocker by a big newsboard.

"You two are awfully early for my Practical Applications class. Ah, oh! Alexander Mythshade! I didn't recognize you from afar."

"I'm taking my friend here, Adrian, on a tour," Alex explains, and then the conjurer turns to Adrian.

"Adrian, this is Mister Arthur Wethersfield. He teaches Sorcery, or Balance magic. Ravenwood doesn't have a school for Balance, but plans say that Mister Wethersfiend's class could take place within Bartleby."

Alex motions his hand up to the giant tree behind the smaller newsboard.

"Bartleby; the Grandfather Tree, the creator of the Spiral, and center of all magic."

"I knew t'was something not right with a fountain being a center of all magic," Adrian comments. "This seems more genuine."

"Ah, so you attended Pigswick Academy before Ravenwood?" Arthur Wethersfield asks, "Uh… I believe I have not gotten your full name."

"My name is Adrian… Uh, Kensington," he says hesitantly.

Arthur's eyes widened at the name Kensington.

"Hold on now, Kensington, like Earl Ebenezer Kensington? So the rumors are true… It is no wonder you are better dressed then the other students."

"Huh? What's this? Rumor?" Alex asks.

Professor Wethersfield clears his throat.

"Rumor has it that Earl Ebenezer Kensington, the lord of the Kensington district and half of Marleybone's trade ports, had a son and heir. Now his wife was a lioness from Zafaria and he was a dog. Of course, the outcome was unpredictable. But to think their child would turn out… human. I see why he wished to hide his child…"

The Balance Professor turns to Adrian. "You are the child of Kensington, right?"

"…. Yes," Adrian admitted bitterly.

"I see…" Arthur caught the sight of Adrian's now cold-hearted eyes and decided to drop the subject.

"Well, Alexander! Would you like for me to introduce the school of Balance?"

Alex switched his attention between Adrian and Arthur, and then nodded. "That would be appreciated, Professor."

"Well now," Arthur turns to the thaumaturge and sits on the footlocker.

"The magic of Balance, or Sorcery, is about harmony and finding balance in all things. It draws power from each of the other school, using Magic-Directed Transmutation to mix and create new possibilities of magic. Transmutation: the process of changing something into another form through magical means, and by what I mean 'Magic Directed,' I mean transmutation made for magic types."

The dog teacher clears his throat and pulls out a canteen, drinking out of it then slipping it back in his coat.

"Balance does not rely on the internal aspects of the caster nor external forces of the world. It is the creation of new things. Sorcerers, as suggested, are typically creative and don't choose sides. Rather, they consider all sides and decide the final verdicts."

"That sounds a bit like Equilibrium," Adrian says. "It's all about bringing out order of things. That's about it though. I like the idea of Balance better, as I enjoy creative tasks."

"I see! Then I take it that you would be interested in the school of Balance!" Arthur smiled.

Adrian chuckles and shakes his head. "The Book of Secrets, I took the test and the book was quite confused. It kept saying I should be a Diviner, or Thaumaturge, or Necromancer. I settled for ice and death magic."

"I see." Arthur scratched his chin. "That is a rare occurrence, for someone to be suggested into three schools with equal judgment. A shame though, sorcery is a complicated school, but its power is unbelievable," Arthur added.

"I see that you're a more investigative-slash-innovative sort of creative than what Balance is."

"Well, I do mess around with transmutation occasionally. I never heard of transmuting through active spellcasts though, or that is what I'm guessing," Adrian explains.

"You're right, young man! What do you use transmutation for?" Arthur asks.

"Oooh, just general alchemy and such. Transmutation circles, all that," Adrian answers.

"Ah, so you know how to make potions at such a young age!"

"Actually… It's just generally changing general objects into another."

"Nuclear Alchemy? You use Nuclear Alchemy; the art of rearranging elements and compounds' particles into a desired object? Why, that's awfully advanced for a child like you. You'd have to have a bachelor's degree of chemistry and calculus straight from Thames College!"

"I just read a lot," Adrian shrugs.

Alex was utterly confused by the words flying around. "Isn't that like science? I thought science doesn't mix with magic."

Wethersfield wags a finger.

"Magic, is of imagination, and will of mind. We use our life-force, or mana, to manipulate space, time, and matter around us. That is magic. Nuclear Alchemy requires understanding of what is going on when rearranging atomos and particles. Perhaps you have to add neutrons, take away an electron, identifying the valence electrons, or see how many ions there are, so and so. When you use Nuclear Alchemy, you have to know what is going on in the atomic levels and it does not require imagination, thus, requiring little mana use. The more knowledge you gain in how things are sorted out, the more power you have, while with regular magic, it is based off of your imagination. The bigger and more powerful the spell is, the more mana is needed to cast the spell."

Alex was still a bit lost. "So…"

"Science applies with magic indeed. The more you know what parts and atomos of an object is manipulated when using magic, plus external forces around it, the less mana you consume. If you use magic out of pure will, commands, and imagination, it will use more mana on how powerful the magic is. This is the base knowledge for Nuclear Alchemy."

Wethersfield takes a deep breath. "Although it is just a theory, it is yet to be made into a theorem or fact, as there is heavy evidence of it, and this young man, Adrian, understands that theory quite well. Most professors of magic, do not know the association of science in magic."

"I think I get it…" Alexander says, trying to remember what he learned in Physical Science back in Earth, about protons, electrons, and neutrons.

"Well, I think I have said more than enough for the tour," Mister Wethersfield says. "I think it is time to move onto the next part of the tour, no?"

"Oh, yeah!" Alex goes to shake the Balance Professor's hand… or paw. "Thank you, professor, for your time."

The tour continues around Bartleby the Grandfather Tree, going from schoolhouse to schoolhouse.

"Come back to my class so we can help you to release your inner thunder!" Halston Balestrom, the Storm School Instructor says.

"I'll look forward to starting your studies, dear!" Lydia Greyrose, the Ice School Professor, would invite.

"I'll fan the flames to cool the classroom so your studies can begin," Dalia Falmea, the Fire School Professor, beckons.

As the two continues, Adrian brings up the subject about the talking trees. Each represented their schools, something Alexander would explain. Alex and Adrian come up to a gaping chasm, near the Fire School. It was as if a school of Ravenwood was ripped away from the others. In its place, was a creepy floating piece of land with three, dark towers. Ghosts and spirits kept appearing and floating up from those towers of grey bricks.

"What used to be here, was the Death School," a dark skinned teenager says, approaching from behind

His age was probably around seventeen. He was dressed in white and black robes with a jester's hat. In his hand, was a staff with a red crystal ball as the top piece. Spiky, black hair was under his jester hat and his pupils and irises were like globes of screaming souls.

Alexander turns to Adrian, showing him to the fellow student. "Adrian, this is-"

"Malorn Ashthorn, right?" Adrian interrupted.

"You're that new guy, the one who summoned a frosty skeletal snake!" Malorn recalled.

"What, he did?" Alex marveled.

"What happened here?" Adrian asked, pointing to the three, evil spirited towers.

"Oh," Malorn sounded.

He watched a lost soul seep out of the burial grounds where the towers are built.

"Every Hallowe'en, those towers appear," Malorn explained. "They're to challenge wizards like us and test our strength in magic duels or battles. People don't know why they appear, but it's happened ever since the Death School disappeared. Ever since the Death School went away, so did the Death School professor our teacher, Malistaire Drake."

"Malistaire Drake?" Adrian questions.

"He… He was a good teacher," Malorn says quietly.

His eyes seemed to open up more to the light, only to show sadness.

"Ever since he left, bad things started to happen to Wizard City. I don't want to acknowledge it, but the evidence is overwhelming. The other students really think he was evil but… I know he's good man."

Alex was a bit surprised by what Malorn said, but quickly realized that he is also a student of Death. Of course he would try to save face for Malistaire, but Alexander decides to listen to his story. The conjurer finds a bench by the Fire School.

"Why don't we sit?" Alex suggested.

The three agree and comes to rest on the said bench.

"Professor Drake had a wife, Sylvia Drake," Malorn Ashthorn explained. "She was the old professor for the life school. I knew Professor Drake loved his wife very much, but then, she died from sickness."

Malorn looks up to the leaves of Bartley. "We thought Professor Drake would take his wife's death like every other necromancer. He was supposed to acknowledge what death does. We were wrong. Professor Drake was devastated at the loss of Mrs. Drake. I don't know if he was mad, or blamed Wizard City for it, but… Even though he did these bad things, I bet it was because it was all too painful for him."

Alexander's eyes widened at Malorn's story, surprised at his theory. Adrian wasn't sure how to feel, as he didn't know much about Malistaire.

"So this Malistaire guy is responsible for Wizard City's problems?" Adrian asks.

"All evidence points to him," Malorn says with a pained face. "But ever since he left, I'm here to teach other necromancers what I know."

The necromancer manages to smile a bit. "I don't mean to brag but, I was one of the best in Professor Drake's eyes. If he isn't around to teach, then at least I will. That would probably be what he would want, as a teacher."

Adrian hears the murmuring of students down the street. He watches wizards dressed in red and yellow, or black and white, walking down the cobblestone.

Adrian smiles to Malorn. "Well, I guess I could say that the Malistaire guy is proud of you, Malorn. Look at those necromancers coming here to learn."

Malorn looks up, finding kids of varying ages, from seven years old, to thirteen years old. He smiles at Adrian. "Thanks, man."

Alexander keeps silent for a while, and then sits up with vigilance. "Well, I guess it's time to move on to the next part of the tour," he suggested.

"Right," Adrian agreed.

The stood up and gave their goodbyes to the young, makeshift Death School teacher, and heads for the Myth School.

"Well they could've at least sent an adept," the wizard dressed in yellow and blue says.

Cyrus Drake sighs, shakes his head, and rolls his eyes, all at the same time, which impressed Adrian.

"Well, if you wish to _attempt_ to learn some Conjuration, come back later and we can get started."

The Myth Professor points sternly out the door. "Now, leave me alone."

The two departed from the Myth School.

"Well, he was nice," Adrian commented.

"I know he can be a grump, but at least he does teach us so well that we understand it well beyond you can expect," Alex says.

"So that guy was Malistaire's brother?" Adrian asks.

"Yep."

The two continue onto the School of Life, where they meet Moolinda Wu, the professor of Theurgy.

"I didn't expect a cow to be teaching here at Wizard City," Adrian says.

"I didn't know Mooshu even knew of Ravenwood's magic, now that you mention it," Alex added.

Alexander led Adrian back to where Arthur Wethersfield taught. The Balance Professor was giving a lecture to his students where they sat on the cobblestone ground. Arthur was pacing back and forth, writing on a blackboard, where the newsboard was. All the posts of the newsboard were probably on the other side. Alex and Adrian settled on the curb, near Blossom, the life tree.

Alex casts his blue eye on the entrance to the Girls' Dormitory. "So how did you wind up in there?"

Adrian glances at the dorms, then back at Alex. "The boys' dorms were full, so I was told I couldn't join Ravenwood, which was stupid. I was really desperate to join this academy so they placed me in the Girls' Dorms."

"You had no problem with them doing that?" Alex asked.

"I don't really see why they have to separate guys and girls," Adrian shrugs.

Alex made a confused look at Adrian.

 _I think this guy doesn't has any sexual instincts,_ Alex thought.

Suddenly, a voice pierces into Alex's train of thought. He turns to see a girl of oriental origin. Her hair was brown and short. She had dark, purple lipstick and her eyes of mixed colors.

"Hello, Alexanderu-kun," she would say.

"Oh! Ashley," Alex calls to her, and then turns to Adrian.

"Hey, this is Ashley Breeze, girl prefect of the Green Peregrines, the wizard I told you guys about."

Adrian leans in and looks left, toward where the Life and Myth schools were. He saw a Mooshu girl, dressed in tan slacks. Her upper wear was made for battle, with russet brown, silk robes tucked into her pants. They were trimmed with citrine and green. Ashley also had a leather shoulder guard on her right shoulder, which seemed pretty tough to crack. In her hand, was something like a staff, but with a blade at the top end. Ashley's eyes switched to Adrian, but not exactly. Adrian studied her eyes to see if she was looking behind him. Guess not.

"So is this the talk of Ravenwood?" Ashely asked.

Her voice was sophisticated, but also like a warrior's, or an empress warlord. "This _'Eidorian'_ person?"

"Actually, it's 'Adrian,'" Alex corrected.

"A-dri-an," she pronounces.

"Anyways," Alex looks back to Adrian. "She's a Sorcerer, like Mister Wethersfield, and best in class. Like, really powerful. Don't be fooled by how other students act around her however, she's kinda friendly."

"What do you mean?" Adrian asks.

Ashley looks at the conjurer and thaumaturge, but not exactly at them, like before. "I am an enforcer of the Ravenwood's code. It is only natural the underclassmen will be … at unease with me."

"Oooh," Adrian sounds. "I see now."

"Yeah, she's one of us elite initiates," Alex says. "Right, Ashe?"

The Mooshu sorcerer keeps silent.

"Eheh," Alex chuckles awkwardly. "Oh and did I also mention that she is blind?"

"Alexu-kun," Ashley says with a warning tone.

"Really?" Adrian asks, looking at Ashley's staff… or spear.

"So what does she do with that?" Adrian points to the spear.

"She casts spells with it, obviously," Alex says, but Adrian could sense a trace of hesitance in his answer.

"I wonder what a polearm has to do with casting spells," Adrian commented.

"This is just a keepsake of my family," Ashley responds. "He is called Kamakari. Sometimes I… tend to miss the land of Mooshu, and so I have this keepsake, as my focal point of magic."

"Alright, I guess," Adrian settles.

Another voice sounds from Alex and Adrian's right. It came out of the tunnel.

"Adrian!" Morgan called.

Morgan ran up with bags hung on her arms, meeting up with the thaumaturge and Alex.

"Hello, Morgan," Adrian says with a smile.

"I hear the rustling of bags." Ashley points a strong finger at Morgan. "You there, conjurer, why were you at the Shopping District at this hour?"

"E-Eh?" Morgan steps back in confusion. "Wh-What?"

"Ah, relax, Ashley," Alexander says, standing up to settle down Ashley's arm. "She has the day off."

Alex blinks between his fellow conjurer and the sorcerer. "Oh yeah! Um, Ashley, this is Morgan. Morgan, Ashley."

"Oh, so this is the Ashley person you were talking-" Morgan notices Ashley's Kamakari. "-about…"

"Where's Nic and Scarlet?" Adrian asks.

The conjurer blinks and recalls the subject. "Oh they were just right behind me," Morgan explains. "They've got a heavy load."

"Why'd you guys come back?" Alex asked.

Morgan settles down her bags of decorations, costumes, and candy.

"We figured we'd just relax back at the dorms before going to Olde Town."

"Well, we were going to continue the tour through the Shopping District then to Olde Town as well," Alex says.

"That's great!" Morgan cheers pepperly. "We can-"

A girl's voice shouts out of the tunnel from the Commons. Everyone's attention turned to the tunnel entrance, even Arthur Wethersfield and his outdoor class.

Scarlet stands there huffing and puffing, with bags on her back and arms. Nicole was by her side, trying to calm the enraged pyromancer down, or just trying to grab at the candy in Scarlet's bags.

Scarlet slams down her merchandise and points toward Morgan, Alex, and Adrian's direction. With determined eyes and a warrior's cry, she calls out.

"ASHLEY BREEZE! I CHALLENGE YOU TO A MAGIC BATTLE!"


	13. Fire and Ice

"How do you even know that's Ashley?" asked Nicole.

"Shut up, Nic. I can hear, you know. Like, her name," Scarlet huffed.

"Huh, really?" Nicole cups her hands around her ears. "I didn't hear anything in the tunnels."

"You're ruining the moment," Scarlet hissed.

The sounds of high heels clacking on the cobblestone were made as Ashley Breeze began to walk toward the tunnel entrance from Blossom the Life Tree.

"Alexanderu-kun, who is this?" Ashley asked.

"Uh, um. She's Scarlet Night," Alexander Mythshade answered. "She is in the same dorm with Morgan and Adrian here."

"A magic battle?" Ashley repeats. "This Scarlet girl must be either really powerful, or really foolish to challenge me."

"I came here to get stronger," Scarlet states. "And fighting the strongest is how I'll do it! Now draw your wand!"

"No," Ashley simply refuses.

Scarlet's cheek twitches. "Wh-What? No?"

"That is against Regulation F-3. No form of violence shall be committed on school grounds, especially with spells," Ashley explains, striking the bottom end of her spear on the cobblestone, declaring her authority.

"What?" Scarlet bites her lip. "That's some utter bat bile!"

Ashley smiles a bit, and then turned her mixed-colored eyes to Arthur Wethersfield. "Unless…"

"Unless?" Morgan questions.

Scarlet's amber eyes burned with impatience, waiting for an answer, while Ashley called out to the Balance Instructor.

"Professor Wethersfield, will you permit me to teach this novice her place?" Ashley requests.

The Professor of Balance chuckles and looks at his class of sorcerers-to-be's. "Class, what you will see here, is a prime example of a unit in Practical Applications of Magic: battling."

The students of Arthur's class murmured to each other, either excited to see the battle or worried about how it'll all turn out.

"Who is that pyromancer?

"Didn't Ashley Breeze say she was a novice?"

"What is that Scarlet person thinking?"

"Someone's challenging a prefect!"

Though blind, Ashley's ears were acute and sharp, being able to hear their murmuring.

"I suggest you students of Wethersfield's class be quiet and pay attention," Ashley commands.

And sure enough, the young sorcerers silenced and Arthur smiles, taking his canteen out for a drink. One of the students, a girl, comes up and tugs on Arthur Wethersfield's coat.

"Aren't you going to wish good luck to your class assistant, Mister Wethersfield?" the young girl asks.

"Assistant?" Adrian thought aloud to himself.

The Balance Instructor chuckles and caps his canteen, letting out a sigh after gulping down his drink.

"It is the novice pyromancer that I should wish good luck to, this Scarlet girl," Mister Wethersfield said. "Ashley Breeze is one of the Balance school's most skilled students, of course."

Arthur settles down on his footlocker. "Pay attention students. This isn't the same as dueling. There is no dueling circle, no lifelines, and you'll feel the pain along with the damage dealt."

Fed up with waiting, Scarlet smiles and gets jumpy. "Alright, alright, so we can fight!"

Scarlet walks up toward the center of Ravenwood's main court grounds, eyeing Ashley's figure as the confident pyromancer slips out her wand from her sleeve.

"That's a rather fancy staff," Scarlet comments. "So, you want to cast the first spell?"

"Whatever you wish, novice," Ashley replies, remaining her relaxed composure. "But first, it is customary in my culture to introduce our names before battle. I am Ashley Breeze, prefect of the Green Peregrines, and the Scales of Judgement, as many call me."

Ashley points her spear at Scarlet. "You?"

"Heh!" Scarlet stands triumphantly with her arms crossed. "Scarlet Night; novice pyromancer, and… uh… the Scarlet Spellsword! Yeah, that sounds good!"

Cards float around Scarlet as one of them disintegrates into a fine red mist, gathering around her wand. With it, she draws a fire rune.

"Cinder Summoning:" Scarlet taps the rune and it turns into fire energy, swarming around her wand. "Firecat Litter!"

She swings her wand up, and the fiery magic that surrounded her wand was hurled towards Ashley, becoming a large fireball the size of one of those giant boulder. It split into three smaller spheres of inferno and forms into a trio of firecats. Their breaths were superheated air and claws blazing with flames.

"Impressive," Ashley says. "Three summons at once, more than what I expected of a novice."

Being blind, Ashley barely turns her head to the firecats. She simply stood there with a ready stance while the firecats surrounded her. The firecats growled and pounced at Ashley, but the elite initiate sorcerer was faster. Quickly, a spellcard shot up from her wrist to the tip of her spear and she spins her spear in her palm, having a balance rune draw itself in front of her.

"Balance Spell: Elemental Shield," Ashley recites calmly.

A transparent globe of red, blue, and purple formed around her, then turned into a burning red-orange altogether as the firecats were blocked off. The creatures of fire were knocked back and their forms gave up, turning into embers as Ashley's shield spell disappeared. Scarlet wasn't dismayed however, expecting a move like that. She picked out another card from the floating collection of cards around her, but Ashley suddenly appeared closer to Scarlet, about three staff-lengths away. A small balance rune forms and spins at the tip of Ashley's spear and she swings her spear toward Scarlet.

"Sand Summoning: Scorpion!"

A whip of sand darted from the spear's tip, turning into a giant scorpion, which flew for Scarlet.

"Tch!" Scarlet sidesteps a large distance to the left, watching the scorpion crash into the cobblestone. Afterwards, the scorpion gets up, trying to get traction of the ground with its multiple, but skidding feet, but fails and the spell was over.

A card spiraled up Scarlet's left arm and turned into a fire rune, and then her right hand comes down with her wand, tapping on the rune.

"Cinder Summoning: Fire Elf!" she chanted.

A foot-tall elf appeared out of Scarlet's spell, as the fire rune behind him burst into fire and maple leaves. His clothes were of red and yellow and he held a tiny bow of red oak wood in his hands. The fire elf drew arrows from his quiver and they blaze to life as they met with the bow.

"An apprentice spell from a novice, huh?" Ashley says as she dodges one of the fire elf's flaming arrows, and bashes another arrow out of the way with an elemental shield, this time, in a form of a literal shield.

"Flame Arts: Cinderblade Cutlass!"

Ashley Breeze's eyes widened at the sound of an unfamiliar spell. At the last split second, Ashley jumps back and manages to twist and move her shoulder away from a rush of condensed fire and flames. The sorcerer lands on her feet nimbly.

"A sword of fire," Ashley says.

"That's right!" Scarlet smiles.

"Kagu-tsuchi, the myths of the fire sword are true?" Ashley mutters.

"This is just a magus-rank spell, not a 'Kagoo-sushi' whatever you called it," Ashley explains.

Off in the distance, by Blossom, the Life Tree, Morgan, Adrian, and Alex spectated.

"How was she able to tell that it was fire sword, if she was blind?" Morgan asks.

Alex kept quiet, avoiding the question and observing the fight between the sorcerer and the pyromancer.

Arthur Wethersfield raised a brow, wondering how Scarlet got a hold of the Cinderblade Cutlass spell. "I'm sure that wasn't a treasure card… How did she learn it?"

Scarlet charges Ashley, remembering the moves Rattlebones made in their previous battle. Scarlet swings down with the blade of flames at Ashley then spins quickly right after, creating a wheel of blazes around her, but Ashley manages to keep stepping back.

This may prove difficult, Ashley thought. But not when it is blades against blades.

With that, the sorcerer took a battle-ready stance, unlike her relaxed state from before, with her spear behind her back and the other, free hand ready to catch her spear, like Ashley was about to draw a gun in a high noon standoff. Scarlet strides forward onto one foot, then twists around, swinging her sword of flames in another wheel of fire. In response, Ashley brings her spear from her back, clanging with Scarlet's edge on the spear's shaft.

"There's reason my spear is given the name: Kamakari," Ashley says as she locked her spear against Scarlet's sword.

"What are you blabbering on about, we're fighting," Scarlet replies, struggling to keep her sword up with clenched teeth.

"Kama: the sickle, of Lady Judgement, and hakari: me, the scales," the Mooshu sorcerer says.

"Lady Judgment? You, the scales? So what?"

Scarlet lets out a cry and drags her sword up the spear, flinging it away, but Ashley's hands don't let go. Her arms are also flung back, but her overall form was calm, like Scarlet's move had no effect. The pyromancer uses the split second of Ashley's inability to attack to leap back a great distance. The sorcerer smiles at the opportunity and a tanned spellcard slips out of her silk sleeves and into her hand.

"Arts of the Desert: Locust Swarm."

Ashley lets her spellcard disintegrate into sand, and it spirals up her spear like a snake. On the ground where she stands, a balance rune appears and spins, stopping when Ashley strikes the bottom of her spear to the ground, making the magical, spiraling sand around the spear lose its effects, falling like normal grains and gets carried away by the winds. As Scarlet was about to land from her backwards leap, her feet meets something soft, unlike the cobblestone she expected. The pyromancer looks down to see her feet sinking into quicksand.

"Now you see students," Arthur Wethersfield speaks up. "See how Ashley casts Locust Swarm, only to use the field of sand. You know how a tomb is supposed to appear, but her control over the spell is strong."

Wethersfield's students ooh'd at Ashley's abilities.

"It's over, novice," Ashley declares, as she approaches Scarlet, whose feet were rooted into the sand.

Scarlet struggled and grunted, but couldn't walk free. Ashley begins to charge for the pyromancer, with her spear ready to slash through Scarlet. It was the end. However, Scarlet's eyes were still locked onto her attacker's filled with determination.

 _That is a resolved look you have there, Scarlet Night,_ Ashley says in her thoughts. _An honorable way to be defeated._

The the blunt end of the spear was brought down upon Scarlet, but suddenly swerves in another direction, to block a surprise attack from Ashley's right side.

"HRRRRAAAH!"

Adrian was airborne, stopping Ashley's weapon with fierce kick. The blow was hard enough to launch Ashley away, toward Terrence, the Storm Tree. She managed to land on the grass, her feet nearly reaching the pond. The Locust Swarm spell faded away and Scarlet stood on firm cobblestone again, while Adrian landed by her side.

"I didn't need your help, you know," Scarlet complains. "But, thanks."

"The match got one-sided as soon as Ashley Breeze brought out her magical spear," Adrian says.

"You," Ashley says, sweeping away the frost that formed on her spear from Adrian's kick. "How did you achieve such speed?"

 _Even I did not see that coming, nor did I hear it,_ Ashley thought on to herself.

"Uh, I work out?" Adrian says, shrugging.

"Absurd," Ashley sneers.

"Even though it's now two against one, I say our powers are equal," Adrian says, his tone was now a bit more shaped for battle, but his high voice convinced otherwise.

"Words of an experienced balance wizard," Arthur Wethersfield mused, while his students look up to him, then back at Scarlet and Adrian, with astonishment.

"So pervert," Scarlet says, abruptly bringing her sword to her side. "What's the plan?"

"Attack together?" Adrian suggests. "I've been meaning to test out my new toys anyways."

The thaumaturge lifts up his cloak, and seven crystals of ice floats out, taking their positions, hovering around Adrian. They spark to life and they make sounds, like distorted water drops and scratches against metal.

"It's that reading light thing again," Scarlet says. "You have more of them."

The crystals of ice synchronize with each other, saying words in unison, into a single clockwork-like voice of a female.

"Dorothy_02, online."

Ashley tilts her head, wondering what this new voice was _. I can see seven small mana forms. Are they mana wisps? No. They all have the thaumaturge's magical signature._

"What are those?" Scarlet asks.

Adrian keeps silent for a bit, and then shrugs. "A whole bunch of wands, I guess."

"DON'T SHRUG AT ME. YOU MADE THEM, YA IDIOT," Scarlet shouted.

 _It's hard to find them as a synergized team,_ Ashley discusses with herself. _As fire and ice don't mix, a dull, calm individual and a loud hothead of a girl doesn't mix either._

Scarlet's Cinderblade Cutlass blazes up with scorching flames and she charges for Ashley. The two wizards clash, parrying and blocking off each other's strikes, sword and against spear. Over time, Ashley starts to put the pressure on Scarlet. Adrian was in the background, making calculations in his mind while his ice crystals come together. He raises two spellcards, one cerulean, and one pitch black. An ice rune draws itself in front of Adrian and his ice crystals orbits around the rune, going counter-clockwise in the air as they kept the spell in motion.

The ice rune turns black as Adrian recites the spell, "Cold Death: Frosty Ghoul."

His eyes were intent on Ashley while he kept whispering grim words. The ground rumbles and the cobblestone cracks. A ghoul in a white suit springs out of the ground in front of Adrian, with a large icicle in his hands. It moaned and ran toward Ashley, while Scarlet saw the strange summon, and stepped back, taking the opportunity to catch her breath. The ghoul thrusts his icicle at Ashley. His motion was lazy, but his attacks could say the opposite. Ashley spins her spear above her head, and then sweeps it down behind her to bring it up in a precise strike. The spear's tip cracks the giant icicle and it shatters to pieces, but the ghoul shows no dismay. It pounces for Ashley, pinning her to the ground, but the sorcerer still had a plan. A small balance rune spins in her hand and she presses it up the ghoul's chest, making a gale of concentrated, hot sand pierce through its body, leaving the ghoul dead with a gaping hole in its chest. Ashley pushes the ghoul away, gets up on her feet and dusts off her shoulder guard as the ghoul disintegrates away into dust.

 _I sensed the mana of undead, with ice magic,_ Ashley thought to herself.

The sorcerer's ear picks up the sound of Scarlet's battle cry and she ducks. Scarlet misses her swing went airborne above Ashley, and so the sorcerer took the chance and thrusted her spear up Scarlet's abdomen. The pyromancer lets out an "ACK!" and was launched up and away, backwards of Ashley. Scarlet lands with a thud and groaned, as Arthur's class of balance wizard flinched from the painful strike.

"Enough with your annoying sword," Ashley mutters. "Balance Spell: Elemental Dispel."

A card within Ashley's sleeve slips out, turning into three, red, blue-white, and purple wisps. The wisps fly for Scarlet's hand and swirls around it. The red wisp was consumed into Scarlet's fingers and the sword of fire disappears into nothing. Scarlet's eyes widened as the flames of her weapon blew away with the wind, leaving only her wand. She begins to get up, holding her stomach.

"That was a dirty move," Scarlet manages to cough out.

"Dirty?" Ashley smirks and spins her spear, striking it on the ground, resting it by her side. "Strategy has no limits."

"Battle Protocol Seven, execute."

Ashley turns around to see who said those words. Adrian was there with closed eyes. He kept muttering commands and numbers, with a hand in his waistcoat pocket and his ice crystals droning around him, while walking slowly towards Ashley. Finally, Adrian opens his eyes and stretched his arm out to Ashley. The ice crystals charged with magic and darted for the sorcerer like deadly, dive bombing sparrows. Taken aback the speed of the crystals, Ashley really started to take hold of her spear like a martial artist, and not a wizard.

Ashley took a deep breath and recited the words, "Third Taurshura Spirit: Weasel Stance."

The sorceror's spear crackled with purple lightning and with speed untraceable by the naked eye, she whipped and swings her spear around, blocking off the incoming ice crystal projectiles, then ceases with a dignified stance. The ice crystals, or Dorothys, came back to hover around Adrian.

 _To think I'd have to call upon Taurshura,_ Ashley thought. _I must not let my abilities be seen anymore._

Ashley points towards Adrian with an iron finger. The white-blue wisp that floated by Scarlet's hand bursts in speed, shooting for Adrian. It latches onto his fingernail, and then was absorbed into Adrian's hand. Ashley expected for his ice crystals to run dry of mana and fall, but there was no effect.

"I don't think you can dispel a wand," Adrian smiles. "Nor can you dispel a living creature."

Ashley's train of thought was wrecked, her expression turning confused. "What?"

The thaumaturge's eyes glows bright with ice magic and his form breaks down into a mist of snow and sleet. Mist-Adrian bolt in Ashley's direction. At the last second, the snow and sleet pressed against each other and reformed into Adrian, giving him the momentum to land a heavy kick aimed for Ashley's face. The sorcerer meets his jet-black oxfords with the shaft of her spear.

 _That impact cracked the ground around my feet,_ Ashley thought. _What kind of wizard is he? The force should've been enough to crack his leg bones as well…_

Adrian pushes off Ashley's spear with his foot but then returns to start a barrage of kicks, while remaining in mid-air by polymorphing either of his feet into torrents of cold, snowy air when not kicking at Ashley. Meanwhile, Scarlet watches Ashley keep her guard up against Adrian's fast kicks, then looks to her hand. Fire flickered in her palm but was unable to ignite fully. She tried the same for her wand, but nothing worked.

"Damn it all. How do I get rid of a dispel?" Scarlet asks herself.

 _I'm beginning to lose my breath,_ Adrian thought to himself.

With that, he stops his legs and springs off the spear a great distance, and lands on the other side of the street. Adrian eyes Ashley intently, standing back up straight with nobility as his Dorothys return and float around him. The thaumaturge tries and thinks up of a plan.

"Dorothy, start the run-up sequence for the Particle Acceleration protocol," Adrian orders to his ice crystals.

A golden treasure card forms in Adrian's palm and he tosses it up in the air, letting it become an ice rune.

"Ice Arts: Frostbite."

The ice rune melts into a stream of ice magic, gathering around Adrian's fingers. He whips the spell at Ashley's feet. It freezes them onto the ground, rendering Ashley immobile, as Adrian takes a step back and brings his right arm forward, then his free hand onto the raised arm. He faces his right palm at Ashley, and his ice crystals come in formation. They rotate in a cylinder around the arm and icy energy begins to form in it.

"What is that?" Scarlet asks aloud.

The students of Arthur's class clamored and spoke urgently about what's going to happen, while Arthur Wethersfield watched Adrian's charging spell intently.

The thaumaturge's spell intensifies in power and the rotation of the ice crystals speeds up to a blur.

With that, Adrian says the final words, "Techmaturgy: Arcane Acceleration Cannon-"

His ritualistic words were broken off as Ashley somehow managed to break free of her icy bonds and she flashed up above Adrian in storm and balance magic, with her spear in hand, ready to strike. Adrian's eyes widened and he swerved the aim of his arm away from Terrence the Storm Tree and towards the sky.

"Firing," the Dorothy_02 system says.

Suddenly, a massive burst of concentrated ice magic unleashes from Adrian's palm, shooting into the sky, blowing a hole in Bartleby's large canopy of leaves. Even Ashley was astonished by what just happened, but her intentions went back on Adrian, as she thrusts the dull end of her spear at the thaumaturge. Just as the pole reached his chest, Adrian's form broke down into a mist of snow, blowing away and speeding to where Scarlet stood. The snow reformed into Adrian, and he crashes into the ground, rolling and scraping, stopping beside Scarlet. He pants and frowns into the ground, struggling to get up.

"I used a bunch of mana in that last spell," Adrian says. "Crap."

"And I can't bring out my Cinderblade Cutlass anymore," Scarlet adds on. "What do we do?"

The two novice wizards watch as Ashley stands near the tunnel entrance to the Commons. She was looking up to where Adrian blew a hole in Bartleby's canopy, a bit amazed, then her attention shifted back to Scarlet and her thaumaturgic friend.

Suddenly, Adrian grabbed hold of Scarlet's hand.

Scarlet's eyes widen and she tries to pull her arm away. "WHAT'RE YOU DOING, YOU PERV?"

"Use me," Adrian replied.

"Wha- …. What?" Scarlet was confused.

"Use me, take me, hold me!" Adrian chanted, as he eyes Ashley, who was coming closer.

Scarlet sputters and made a bunch of gibberish with a blush. "WH-WHAT?"

"Just run and I'll follow!" Adrian yelled. "Just imagine you're wielding a greatsword!"

"What? You're crazy! How am I supposed to do that? First of all, you're heavy, second of all, you, as a weapon?"

"That's the idea! And I'm lighter than you think! Just do it!"

"Alright! Okay! Let's do it!"

The pyromancer starts to charge for Ashley, holding Adrian's arm with two hands, as he followed Scarlet from behind. Ashley starts to do the same, dashing towards the duo with her spear. When they reach, Scarlet lets out a battle cry. Adrian's arm and hand harden into ice as Scarlet swung him at Ashley. As his leg came near the sorcerer, a blade of ice formed out of Adrian's foot, kicking at the last second and clashing with Ashley's spear. Adrian's whole body froze in ice, except for his torso, looking like a plank, while Scarlet clenched his teeth, staring down at Ashley.

"Tch, I don't think this sword form is going to work," Adrian says.

Scarlet scoffs. "Yeah, what else?"

Adrian rolls his eyes. "Just keep going, you idiot."

Scarlet does as her friend says and brings her human-sword back.

"Retreat," she says.

The two jumps back, then charges again at Ashley. This time, Adrian moves more like a whip, having a sharp edge of ice form out of his feet and kicks every time his leg nears Ashley, resulting in Scarlet being able to strike with more speed. The two continues to attack together while Ashley kept blocking away. When it was time for Ashley to return the favor, Scarlet lets go of Adrian, leaving him to fend away the sorcerer's attacks with his ice-covered arms.

"You're going to rip the sleeves off my fine coat, miss," Adrian says, continuing to defend against Ashley.

"It's your fault for choose hand-to-hand combat then, novice," the sorcerer responded.

Adrian flings up the blade of Ashley's spear. Then, ice forms in bulk around one of his arms. He goes in to deliver a potentially devastating punch. Ashley ducks under the attack and counters by thrusting her spear into Adrian's abdomen, but Adrian learned from Scarlet's mistake. He put his hand on Ashley's shoulder and springs off, somersaulting above her and goes back to bring down an axe kick on the sorcerer. Unfortunately, Ashley brings her spear behind her neck, letting the kick fall on that instead. Adrian makes an annoyed sound and bounces off Ashley's spear and lands near Scarlet.

"This is it," the pyromancer says. "We'll finish this."

"Right," Adrian agrees, as ice magic fuels up around his left leg.

Ashley takes sight of the impending threat and she draws a balance rune with her finger, letting the power of Sorcery gather around the head of her spear. With that, Ashley draws in her breath and lets out war cry, and Scarlet does the same, rushing towards the elite initiate sorcerer with Adrian by her side, ready to deliver the final clash.

"Submit defeat, novices!" Ashley yells.

"Heh! And Nicole stops eating candy!" Scarlet and Adrian roars back in unison.

Nicole's head pops out from a shopping bag of candy, chewing on some taffy. "Eh?"

Adrian's ice-charged leg and Ashley's sandstorm imbued spearhead meets. The area of Ravenwood seems to be sucked of light. With that, an explosion of sand, snow, ice, and rocks erupts from the final clash, blowing the three fighters back. Ashley rolls back and tumbles toward the Commons tunnel entrance, finally stopping. She lies on the ground, moaning. Adrian and Scarlet also was forced into the cobblestone, tumbling backwards and coming to a halt, hard against the fence that circled Bartleby. They were all panting and coughing, trying to regain their senses.

"Egh…" Ashley sounded. "Who'd to think I'd be pushed to the ground…"

"Aw… My everything is hurt," Scarlet moaned.

"I think my coat needs to visit to the tailor," Adrian grunted.

"You're going to say that," Scarlet looks scoffingly at Adrian, "After what just happened."

"Hey, it's an expensive piece of clothing," Adrian smiled.

Ashley struggles to get up. "You novices are certainly something else."

"Call it a tie?" Scarlet suggested, as she got up on her feet, then bends down to help up Adrian.

"A draw," Ashley mused. She nods and dusts off her clothes of magic dust.

"I think we've got ourselves a crowed," Adrian says, waving his hands around.

Ashley and Scarlet glances around to their sides. Only now did they realize that there was a crush of students gathered around. One crowd was by the Storm School, while another crowd was by the Life School.

"How long have they been there?" Scarlet asks.

"Ever since Scarlet brought out her sword thing," Alex says.

Alexander Mythshade and Morgan join the scene, followed by Nicole, who was carrying a bunch of shopping bags.

"That was a splendid performance, you three," Arthur Wethersfield said. "On this day, you lot have set an example to Ravenwood where many of the wizards do not know what battling with magic is like. To think you Scarlet, would use Adrian here as a weapon!"

"Did we now?" Scarlet couldn't help but grin and look up to the leaves of Bartleby.

Morgan trots up to Scarlet and Adrian. "Are you two alright?"

"We're fine," Scarlet and Adrian says in unison. They look at each other and chuckle.

Scarlet watches Adrian's hand as he raised it up to the sky, calling for the pieces of his Dorothy_02 system to retreat back into his cloak.

The crowd came closer around Ashley, Alexander, and the Nightingale Girls(and guy). They murmured and words were passed around.

"Did you guys see that?"

"That blonde had a fire sword!"

"That silver-haired kid fought with fisticuffs!"

"That guy must be the one in the girls' dorms!"

"The Scarlet person swung the ice wizard around like a weapon!"

In the back, some girls squealed and screamed. "Adrian!"

Adrian looked around. "What?"

Morgan rolled her eyes at the girls in the back, and muttered some words.

"Man, I wouldn't want to mess with that fire girl," one person in the crowd says.

"They stood up and matched equally against Ashley Breeze!" another person commented.

The crowd cheered and chanted Scarlet and Adrian's names, with enthusiasm.

"It seems like you two have gotten popular," Ashley says, walking up to them.

She raises her hand in an offer to shake hands with Scarlet and Adrian, but she faced the wrong way.

"Hey uh, Ashley," Alex calls out. "You're facing the wrong way."

"Oh," Ashley turns to her left and corrects her positioning. "Sorry. I have used too much mana and my ability to see mana within people has faded. It is also too loud to determine you two's positions."

Adrian lets a fist fall into his palm, as a sign of him figuring out something. "Ah, so that's how she knows where I was!"

"Wait, hold on." Scarlet raises a hand to chest-level. "Ashley is blind?"

"Yeah," Alexander says.

"Whaaat? This is… wow," Scarlet says, looking to the ground.

Adrian chuckles at Scarlet and shakes his head. "Heh, forgot to tell you… that."

His last words stumbled and Adrian's legs became weak. Suddenly, he collapsed onto the ground.

"Adrian!" Morgan screamed.

The conjurer rushed to his side and flipped him over… only to find him softly snoring.

"Wh-What?" Morgan made a bewildered face.

"Oooh yeah," Scarlet remembered. "He like, spent all of last night reading a book. Didn't sleep a bit."

"He violated Regulation B-3," Ashley stepped in. "No studying overnight, for you had plenty of time in the daytime to study."

"Uh well, Adrian was just reading a book as a hobby I think," Scarlet says. "Something about quantum gateways and space stuff."

"Well, I think I can accept that…" Ashley says, poking at the sleeping Adrian.

Scarlet's knees started to become wobbly, and Ashley lost her strength, both of them falling on one knee.

"I think we both used too much stamina," Scarlet says with a chuckle. "Next time, I won't need Adrian's help. You're going down, Ashley Breeze."

"We'll see about that," Ashley chuckles.

"Well now!" Arthur Wethersfield stepped up to the scene. "I suggest you three go to the infirmary immediately. Can I gather some theurgists to take them there?"

Two male theurgists come and takes Adrian's body by the feet and arms, carrying him away. Another one comes and slings Scarlet's arm over his shoulder. The life wizard then assists Scarlet in walking away to the infirmary. As a person comes to help Ashley up, she keeps eyeing Adrian and Scarlet.

 _Those two bested me in battle, even though they were novices,_ Ashley thought. _Perhaps they had previous experience… I underestimated them. They had teamwork like no other's._

Ashley lets out a sigh and glances at the sky.

_I wonder how powerful they will be in the future._


	14. The Goddess of Ravenwood

Once again, the story starts with Scarlet on the bed. She must've passed out while being assisted to the infirmary. Her red, flame-embroidered boots was taken off and put to the side, along with her socks in her shoes, hanging out, leaving her red-painted toesies to be seen wiggling around. She struggles a bit but a hand goes over Scarlet's chest. She turned her eyes to find Nicole with a finger on her lips. The necromancer pats down Scarlet back onto the bed.

"Don't move, Scarlet. You're still a lil' bit banged up," Nicole says, with a subtle smile, but her cheery mood still breaches through it.

"Oh. Alright," Scarlet sighs.

The pyromancer rests her head on the pillow and lets out a bored huff to the ceiling, blowing her blonde hair away.

Scarlet lazies her head over to look at Nicole again. "So how's Adrian, then? Ashley?"

"He's still asleep," Nicole explains. "He's a bit banged up, like you are, but they said you guys overdid it with the explosion, now everyone is mopey-dopey in teddy-beddy."

Scarlet looks over to the other side of the room, seeing Morgan by Adrian's side close by. Morgan kept watch over him, letting her ash blonde hair over Adrian's snow white hair.

"I ship them so much," Nicole snickers.

"Ship them? Ship them where?" Scarlet asks.

"Oh, just Internet stuff," the necromancer says simply.

"What's an internet?" Scarlet goes on.

Nicole made a face like she didn't want to go into the subject. "Eeeeh."

"And how long am I going to be stuck here?"

"Oh not long. One of the nurses'll come and heal you right back up."

"Never been here before," Scarlet comments, looking around the room.

The room was pretty small. The space was probably a bit larger than a big wardrobe for a princess. Scarlet assumes this room was for patients that just need rest. The place also had a sink and two chairs each by the two beds for the patients.

Scarlet looks over her chest to the door, "Hrm?"

The knob twists and the entrance opens to let two females in, both caucasian. One had the look of a lady in her 20s. She had long, finely curled golden brown hair and an attractive face with silver eyes. She was dressed in light pink, white, with green as the main color of her clothes, obviously showing that the lady was a theurgist. She sported a skirt with Ravenwood-standard buckled boots. For her top, she had a big-sleeved robe tucked into her skirt by a pink belt. Her robe was loose and made a big window for her ample bosom, showing off her rather large breasts, even bigger than Morgan's, giving the lady a voluptuous beauty. Her attitude was carefree and easygoing, so it seems to Scarlet. On her name tag, which was located on her right chest, had the words: Ryane Tulipshine. And below her name, was the title, 2nd Seat Surgeon and MD.

"So in 'zis room, we have Scarlet Night and Adrian Kensington, ze ones 'zat fought Ashley Breeze," Ryane reported to the other girl.

The other theurgist crosses her arms with a hand on her chin. "Adrian and Scarlet… Where have I heard those names before?"

The girl was smaller than her taller partner, but she still had the looks of a theurgist. The only difference was that the girl was a lot more beautiful, on a whole other level. She had a long-sleeved zippered robe with two coattails coming from the hind end of her robes. She had thigh-high boots with high heels, which led up to her short skirt, being cut at the sides and was replaced pleated, white, embroidered cloth. Her clothes overall were black, with green and brown trims. While she didn't have a chest like Ryane's, the theurgist's eyes were of leaf emeralds. Her slightly wavy, long, chocolate brown hair seemed to flow with non-existent winds, and her face was so innocently captivating, like a goddess of spring meadows and beauty. When she smiled, even the other girls blushed.

"I heard they were on the same level as Ashley, together of course," spoke the black-clothed theurgist girl. "I hope they aren't gravely hurt."

Scarlet blushes more at the theurgist. The life wizard held her hands curled up against her chest like in a prayer. Surely she must be a goddess of some sort. Scarlet read on her name tag that her identity was Molly Lionheart, and below her name, she read 1stSeat Surgeon and Assistant Chief.

 _Am I… Am I having a crush on that theurgist? I don't even like girls!_ Scarlet thought.

 _I know right?_ Nicole thinks along.

Scarlet's expression turned confused. _Wait. Nicole, how did you get in my mind?_

The necromancer shrugs. _I dunno. Lol._

_Lol?_

_Hehe~_

Ryane follows Molly up to Scarlet's bed. She looks to her clipboard then turns to Molly.

"The patient has… uh, first degree burns on the arms and a mild contusion of the tummy," Ryane reports.

"I think just a sprite will be sufficient for Scarlet," Molly says with a soft voice like an angel's. "Along with some ointment, and she'll be fit as a fiddle."

Molly claps and turns to her partner. "May you retrieve my staff? Oh, and you can leave the papers with me."

"Oooh alright." Ryane moans complaintatively and sighs. "When will I ever get 'ze time to find a daring gentleman?"

Ryane said the G in gentleman like how the J in 'Jacques' is pronounced.

The adult theurgist hands Molly the clipboard and trots out of the room and the door closes with a gentle tap. Molly watches her partner walk out, shaking her head, then turns back to Scarlet and Nicole.

"I thought violence wasn't allowed on school grounds, Scarlet," Molly says.

"Oh… Uh, well I challenged Ashley and this dog professor of Balance permitted that we could battle," Scarlet explains.

"I see." Molly shakes her head and sighs. "Dear Ashley should really control herself."

"You know her?" Scarlet asks.

"Yes, I am her colleague and friend," the theurgist answers.

"Ooop," Nicole sounded, trying to remember something. "Oooh! Does this mean you're one of the Four Elite Initiates, like Alex?"

Molly nods and grins with delight. "I see you have met Alexander already. I don't suppose you two are in the same dorm room?"

"Yep," Nicole answers. "Morgan and Adrian are with us too, the ones behind you."

The necromancer points past Molly's shoulder to her conjurer and thaumaturge friends.

"Those two look pretty close," Molly giggles. "And no wonder this 'Adrian' sounds familiar. The other nurses were talking about a boy placed in the girls' dorms. It's an unexpected thing, indeed."

"Isn't that like old news already?" Scarlet asks. "It's been four days."

"I think Ravenwood has other news on its hands; two novice students challenged the Scales of Judgment, the Elite Initiate, the Green Peregrine prefect, and finished the battle in a draw. I'd say that's pretty impressive, you and Adrian. But let me tell you this, Scarlet. Ashley was put in a worse condition than you guys."

"What? Really?" Scarlet felt a bit of pride, but then stopped herself. "Oh, I'm sorry to-"

"No no. It's fine. This just means that you two combined must've really been more powerful that Ashley," Molly says, approvingly.

"You don't mean…?"

"Yep!"

Scarlet remembers what happened before she swung Adrian at Ashley, before the explosion of Balance and Ice. She managed to give some of her pyromantic mana to Adrian.

"Hey uh," Scarlet reads the theurgist's nametag again. "Hey Molly, what would happen if you mixed fire and ice magic together?"

Molly raises an eyebrow. "Either the magics would cancel each other out or result in a destructive outcome. Why do you ask?"

Scarlet glances at Adrian, focusing on his right leg, the leg that struck Ashley's Sorcery-charged spear during the last battle.

"How is his leg?" Scarlet asks.

The theurgist turns and sees the thaumaturge resting. "Are you saying that you two combined fire and ice magic?"

"Maybe."

"Well I haven't checked on him yet," Molly explains. "I've many patients. Are you saying that Ashley struck your friend's leg as well?"

Before Scarlet could answer, Ryane popped into the room with a tall, wooden staff, laden with leaves and the head of the staff was twisted around an empty space, like something should've been there. Ryane hands the staff to Molly.

"Thank you, Ryane."

"Save me 'ze chores, of course," Molly's partner muttered.

Molly giggles and rolls eyes, then begins to go to work, turning to Scarlet. The leaf-laden staff's head begins to have viridian energy flicker and spark within and Molly's hand glows with weak, but graceful theurgy. She casually draws a life rune and it disperses into ethereal leaves, whirling around her hand.

"Essence Summoning: Pixie."

The magical leaves orbiting her hand weave together like threads of nature and form a foot-tall girl dressed in a yellow, patchy tunic, skirt, and blonde, tied back hair to match. The young pixie doesn't even need to told as she examines Scarlet's light burns. Molly lifts up Scarlet's red and yellow-flamed robe, exposing the pyromancer's belly, showing the pixie the discolored patch of skin, a bruise. The theurgist makes a sound and flinches from the bruise.

"That must've hurt," Molly says. "Tell me, have you experienced any pain in the area? Stomach aches in particular?"

Scarlet shakes her head. "No. It hurts when I touch it, but other than that, nothing."

"Well, luckily, it has only bruised your… abdominal muscles?"

Molly observes Scarlet's tummy, marveled at her somewhat toned abs. They were subtle, but people could still see the forms.

"For a wizard, you have quite the muscles," Molly says.

"Wooow! Scarly has abs!" Nicole exclaims in wonder.

A bright pink color overtakes Scarlet's face and rolls her head to the side, chuckling. "Well… I train, I guess."

"It is rare to see any wizards practice physical training, except for Ashley," Molly points out. "I'm not saying it is bad. Keep it up!"

"Never planned to stop," Scarlet shrugs.

The emerald-eyed theurgist makes a sweet, pacifying smile, which even captivated Scarlet and Nicole. Ryane noticed the smile as well. She cracked a blush herself but the vixen theurgist's face remained bored. Molly grabs a little pot, opening and dipping a finger in it, to scoop out a large drop of a white cream. With it, the theurgist spreads it softly on Scarlet's stomach, careful not to cause pain to the sore bruise. The experience for Scarlet was amazing. The soreness melted away to what seemed like a small, miniature wave of mountain freshness on her belly. She found it to feel so good; the pyromancer almost slips away into sleep.

"Hehe," Ryane giggled, coming to Nicole's side. "Zat's 'ze Ravenwood Infirmary's top quality magical remedies for vous."

The summoned pixie continued the procedure. She fluttered her wings and flew around Scarlet, forming a shell, or shield of light green life magic, encapsulating the pyromancer within and her burns and bruise began to shrink and recolor into their original skin tone. Nicole "ooh'd" at the sight and gave her applause, which woke Scarlet from her little doze-off.

"There you are," Molly smiles, rubbing the remainder of the ointment onto her hand's skin like a lotion. "As I said, fit as a fiddle! Now, onto Adrian."

The two theurgists go to the other side of the room. Morgan looks up to them and sits back up, letting the two nurses attend to Adrian, while Scarlet and Nicole watched. Molly, with her ointment-lotioned hands, starts to massage the thaumaturge's leg. It was cold to the touch, as perceived to Molly, but she also felt it turn into a warmth. The feeling kept pulsing between warm and cool as she glides her hands along his leg, then feet. After she was done, Molly turns to Scarlet, with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm guessing you mixed in fire magic along with this thaumaturge's ice magic, am I right?" Molly asks.

"Oh yeah," Scarlet recalled. "I was about to tell you, but we were interrupted by-"

Coincidently, she was interrupted again, as a brown-haired boy pops into the room, holding up a few papers. He was dressed in green, vine-designed robes with a hood, looking strikingly familiar to Scarlet and Nicole.

"M-Miss Lionheart! I have some papers for you! Something about a physical for one of your patients," the boy reports in.

"Ah, I see. Thank you, Nightchant, for delivering these to me." Molly makes a pleasant grin for the newcomer as she took the papers from his hands.

"O-Oi!" Scarlet points at the green-robed boy. "It's the life pervert! Ceren!"

"Eh?" Ceren Nightchant swooped his head towards the familiar-looking pyromancer. "Scarlet!"

"You mean 'zis is ze Scarlet you were talking about, Ceren?" Ryane asks.

"Ah, no wonder the name Scarlet sounded so familiar," Molly mused.

Scarlet and Nicole blinks and looks at each other, saying in unison, "Wait what?"

"Ceren here told me about a pyromancer that helped sear shut a large wound along with a thaumaturge who froze the wound numb before the operation," Molly explained. "I'd say that was real impressive."

"Eheh~" Scarlet scratches her head. "Learned that from a badger a while back. There was the risk of him dying of shock, however."

Ceren sputtered in surprise. "Wh-What?"

"It was a good thing Adrian was there to act as an anesthetic," Molly says. "Or so I assume."

Scarlet nods along. "Yep."

Ceren perks up and steps into the room."Eh? Everyone is here?"

"You work here, Ceren?" Morgan asks as she stands up from her chair.

"Uh, yeah," Ceren answers. "It's a bit embarrassing but I'm still apprenticing under Miss Tulipshine, even though I'm an initiate."

"Well 'ze medical area is quite 'ze field of study," Ryane Tulipshine says, flipping her hair and smiling. "It's a big subject of study."

"The only reason I'm still your apprentice is because you don't even pay attention to me!" Ceren scolds at Ryane.

"Ce il vous plait," Ryane says, rolling her eyes. "I know you're just distracted by moi brioches~"

Ryane's hands go under and playfully display her rather ample breasts with a smirk, making Ceren blush and bleed from his nose. He wipes the red juices of perversion away and grits his teeth.

"You're always messing around and I barely learn anything," Ceren complained. "When's the last time you gave me a worksheet or let me watch you operate during surgery?"

"You would just look at my buns," Ryane answers, chuckling with a teasing look.

"You're impossible," the life student says.

"You want to become a surgeon, Ceren?" Morgan asks.

Ceren turns to the conjurer and nods. "I want to become a great one, the best like Miss Lionheart! Well I mean Miss Tulipshine is great as well but you can hardly tell."

To prove his point, he shows Morgan to Ryane, who was now applying lip gloss, glistening her smoochers and smiled to herself with high esteem.

"Ceren, I'm younger than you," Molly says, chuckling. "I don't think you're supposed to call me Miss."

Ceren smiles along with Molly. "Well I am your subordinate, miss."

Scarlet watched the theurgists talk amongst each other, and could help look amused. Adrian rustled around in the corner, finally waking up and yawning silently, almost cracking out his voice.

"Adrie! You're awake!" Morgan exclaims, appearing excited.

"I just had the worst nightmare," Adrian mumbled.

"What?"

"I accidently mixed sand into my pastries and mistook sand for salt when I made gumbo," Adrian explained.

Scarlet snickers and shakes her head. "There's absolutely worse."

Molly noticed Adrian wake up and raised the papers she had in her hands to read.

"So Adrian wants to join the cricket team," Molly skimmed through the papers. "He requires a physical examination for this year. It's pretty surprising when Ravenwood's cricket team gets another teammate."

The theurgist sets aside her staff to Ryane politely, then goes to settle her papers and clipboard on a countertop, beside a sink and below some cabinets with medical supplies.

"Are they that bad?" Nicole asks.

"The worst," Ceren sums up.

"And ze' Avalonian team still reigns supreme of all cricket teams," Ryane adds on.

"Well, I don't think I'll see the difference if Ravenwood's team gets another player," Scarlet says, smiling with the pride of Avalon's cricket team.

"I'm not hoping to make much of a change," Adrian muffles out of his blanket.

"Say, Miss Molly," Ceren Nightchant starts, "Don't we have to clear out all other patients and visitors before a physical?"

"Hmm?" Molly's head turns to Ceren as she reached up into the cabinets. "That won't be nesscessary. We're all nurses and dormmates. You could learn a thing or two when observing me at work, Ceren."

"A-Alright," the life wizard subordinate stammers.

Molly brought down a few instruments from the cabinet; a stethoscope around her neck and a little rubber mallet. She then turns for Adrian's bed.

"Sir Kensington, may you take off your cloak and top?" the elite initite asks him.

Scarlet watches casually as the procedures begin, noticing Adrian hesitate a bit to take off his dress shirt, but does anyway, revealing his slim, finely toned athletic figure, with firm abs and muscular biceps. He also had tattoos of thorny, rosen vines, wrapped around his upper left arm and of course, the two magic circles, branded onto the side of his waist and ribcage. Everyone was taken by surprise at Adrian's figure. Nicole ooh'd. Morgan blushed. Blood dripped down Scarlet's nose. Molly held fingers to her lips and red cheeks. Ryane couldn't help but smile and give an alluring look. Even Ceren gawked. Molly took a while to get her mind back on track, and then noticed the tattoos and brands. She especially winced at the magic circles branded onto Adrian, imagining the pain of hot iron being stamped onto the more pain-sensitive parts of his torso.

"I didn't want to show these magic circles, but I had no choice," Adrian says, looking to the side.

"Were these forced upon you?" Molly asked.

"No, I decided it for myself," Adrian answered with a somewhat bitter look to the wall.

"Oh… Then what about these vines and roses? I thought tattoos were for criminals and pirates."

"Tattoos can also be a form of art," Adrian smiles. "Besides, this is in memoriam for a friend."

"I see," Molly mused. "Shall we begin?"

The Assistant Chief of the Infirmary beckons to Ceren with a finger to come and watch.

"Y-Yes, Miss Lionheart!" Ceren says with a hand to his forehead, taking a notepad along with him to take notes.

Molly giggles slightly while slipping her hands into latex gloves, then puts on the headset of her stethoscope and presses the drum to Adrian's chest with a finger on the stethoscope's diaphragm. Morgan was next to Adrian's bed, watching from his side. She coughs and hides her blush as the conjurer goes to join Scarlet, Nicole, and Ryane.

"Kekeke~3 Was ze' monsieur's fine physique too much for you, myth wizard?" Ryane giggles to Morgan.

Morgan grumbled and settled next to Nicole, hiding her face from the world in embarrassment.

"Oh I know ze' pressure of facing such a man," Ryane teased. "Such a man'sboldness that makes a mademoiselle such as you gulp in awe~"

"St-Stop it!" Morgan whined.

Scarlet was also like Morgan, red like her robes from the neck up, but she couldn't help and snicker at Morgan, while Nicole created sounds of wonder from her lips, watching Molly at work.

"It's hard to imagine someone young as Molly look so professional, especially as a nurse!" Nicole exclaims, "Or is she a doctor?"

"As her title suggests," Ryane begins to speak up, "She is better than me in her work, both in ze' medical and surgical area. Plus, out of almost all ze' theurgists of Ravenwood, she is one of ze' hardest hitting in terms of spells. And don't even get me started on Molly's beauty. She's an idol of Ravenwood. Many call her the Goddess of Ravenwood, even from ze' other schools local to Ravenwood."

"I think she got me bisexual," Nicole says.

Scarlet rolls her head, then tilts her head at Ryane. "So if she's formally an initiate, she's only been in Ravenwood for three years?"

Ryane nods her head. "It is surprising to find others zhat can match in power with one of the Elite Initiates. The most powerful of ze' four in fact."

"Wow, really?" Morgan asks.

The conjurer turns her head to hear Adrian snickering and trying to hold in a laugh. His cheeks were puffed and the lips were shut tight as he squirmed around with arms crossed on his chest, while Molly was patiently feeling around his waist and between his legs, checking if everything was alright and normal.

"Alright now," Molly says with a gentle voice. "You can stop trying to hold still now."

Adrian lets out a huff of air, silently chuckling under his breath.

Scarlet raised an eyebrow. "Did she just-"

Ceren looks over Molly to the group on the other side of the room, nodding. "She just."

Molly now takes a hold of a small hammer-like thing with a rubber head. "I'm going to test your reflexes now, okay?"

"Alright," Adrian nods along obediently.

Morgan coughs into her fist and manages to lessen her blush to a bright pink. "So when can Scarlet get back up on her feet again?"

"Give it _quinze_ minutes," Ryane says. "Fifteen."

"Oooh, I can't wait that long," Scarlet says.

"Well I think I'm gonna get the rest of the bags to the girls' dorms," Nicole says, getting up onto her feet.

"Are you two going to be fine?" Morgan asks Scarlet, beginning to follow Nicole.

"Yeah. Fifteen minutes, right?" Scarlet asks for confirmation. "I'll meet you guys there."

The Scarlet Spellsword watches as Morgan and Nicole smiles at her, and the two wizards of myth and death leaves the room.


	15. Owl Soup

"Why is it that they were placed side by side?" Morgan says.

Scarlet and Adrian were tucked into Nicole's bed, still on orders to rest. Scarlet was awake, fiddling with her wand, trying to get sparks out of it, while Adrian slept soundly, deep into slumber from being sleep-deprived.

"I protested," Scarlet says. "But the theurgists were being mischievous and carried us to the same bed. I don't mind really. It's not like Adrian will have his arms around me."

An idea sprung into Nicole's mind as she makes a sly glint in her eye and rolls the ragdoll Adrian over, wrapping his arms around Scarlet, while the pyromancer immediately dropped her wand and struggled to swat away Adrian's arms, but she gives up, becoming too tired. Morgan blushes as she sits on the bedside, giggling slightly.

"Is it okay if you guys go to Olde Town without us?" Scarlet asks, looking uncomfortably at Adrian.

"Sure," Morgan smiles. She tucks Scarlet and Adrian in and gives them both small, motherly kisses.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you two are siblings," the conjurer comments.

The pyromancer's amber eyes drifts to the side, her lips quivering a bit with embarrassment. "Did you really have to tuck us in like that?"

"Well~" Morgan looks to the direction opposite of Scarlet and Nicole, blushing a bit and smiling. "I don't know. It was on instinct, I guess."

Scarlet chuckles. "You aren't our mother, you know that?"

"Oooh, I know," Nicole perks up. "She just wanted to kiss Ad-"

The necromancer's loose lips suddenly seals shut as Morgan kept a convincing grin, having a wand in hand behind her back, sparkling a bit.

Scarlet tilts her head at the necromancer. "What was that, Nic?"

Words struggled to come out of her mouth, but Nicole could only muffle out gibberish, as Morgan gleefully rushes behind Nic and grabs the necromancer by her hood.

Morgan seemed chipper and excited as she glanced at Scarlet. "Well, now, I'd say we'd best get going, right Nicole?!"

Nic managed to unseal her lips. "MORGAN LIKES-"

The conjurer blushes bright red and shuts Nicole up and runs to the door, dragging the necromancer along with her.

"Time to go to Olde Town to getallthestuffandstuff- BYE!"

The bedroom door was slammed shut. Scarlet was lying there confused with what just happened, but she rolls her eyes and rests her head on the pillow, gazing up at the ceiling. The pyromancer sighs as lines of film frames wave and float around in her mind, recalling the past events. Every time that she had fought; will o' wisps shooting from Scarlet's wand to ward away lost souls into firey disappearance & not being able to notice other souls rushing for her, the clashing of swords, the pyromancer's fire against a pirate's iron blade, while another blade came down for the name of her neck, the chalk shook up into the air from the tremor when Scarlet slapped the magic summoning circle, quicksand being the ball and chains around her ankles as Ashley Breeze moved in closer for the final strike. At those times, Scarlet remembered that she was not alone.

_"Watch out, idiot!"_

_A gust of chilling wind and snow._

_"Hey, Scarlet. I have a plan."_

_A battle cry as his leg moved in for the blow._

"That's right…" Scarlet recalled.

 _Somebody was always there to watch my back_ , _or bring out the plan with me,_ she thought. _And most of the times, it was Adrian._

"I need to get stronger," Scarlet muttered to herself. "I have to be able to do this by myself."

Scarlet turned her head to face Adrian. He was still asleep, breathing quietly with his arms still around her.

"Take your arms off me, will ya?" Scarlet complains in a whisper.

The slumbering Adrian answered with a few seconds of silence, followed by him mumbling something about sand and cakes, and then his arm hugged onto Scarlet a bit more snug, making her frown in discomfort.

"Tch…"

Scarlet was too weak to do anything, so the pyromancer sighs and lets it go. She wasn't blushing anymore, not seeming to mind her predicament.

"Hey Adrian... Thanks. But next time, I'll save your ass."

Scarlet rolls onto her side, having the rest of her body facing Adrian, and then curls up a bit. In time, her eyes decided it was time to rest, and snored away.

In the Green Peregrines' section of the girls' dorms, Ashley Breeze lays in her bed. Her olive-green colored lips bunched together as the prefect kept thinking about how she was brought down to a tie by two novices. Her blind eyes gazed at the ceiling, her irises void of understanding of how the environment around her was, seeing only black with kaleidoscopic patterns of mixing, washed colors in her mind, with tiny, faded mana forms everywhere. Ashley's ears pick up a _click_ of a door and a twist of a knob, and the sorcerer turns her head to the sound. In the blackness of her closed-off vision, three wisps of mana grow bigger and color their selves to match the signatures of some familiar people, but they were still so blurred that the mana forms didn't take humanoid shapes.

" _Alexanderu-kun, Molly-san,"_ Ashley called out.

The two wizards enter the bedroom; Alexander Mythshade the Conjurer, Molly Lionheart the Theurgist, Elite Initiates just like Ashley.

"Are you doing fine, Ash?" Alex asks, tilting his head at the sorcerer.

"I'm fine, but leave such questions to yourself," Ashley answered sternly. "Why did you two come?"

"What? We can't visit a friend?" Molly smirks sits on the side of the bed, having a hand over Ashley's left leg. "That's awfully mean of you Ashley."

"I suppose Emily came as well?" Ashley mumbles.

"Yep, I'm here," a new voice sounds.

Another person enters the room. She had purple, short hair that only went down just beyond her jawlines and covered her right eye. Her robes were arcane and made the girl look like that of a wise sage, with oversized sleeves, a rain hat, and a flowing dress skirt, all colored a holy vanilla-white, with purple trimmings and yellow lightning bolts decorated evenly and sparingly over her robes and hat. The diviner hugged onto her considerably thick notebook as she walked to the bed side, glancing down on Ashley beside Molly and Alex.

"And the great warlord, Emily Stormheart, returns," Alexander chuckles. "How was your match at the Arena?"

"Heh, not even a scratch," Emily says with confidence. "I can't say the same for you, Ashley."

"Funny, Emily." The sorcerer manages to smile a bit.

"So what's this I hear about you getting into a battle?" Emily looks up and down at Ashley's burns. "Did you actually let two novices beat you up like that?"

"I fought with fair power, Stormheart." Ashley sighs to the ceiling. "One of them challenged me in the first place. She even forced me to use my staff in the style of _sojutsu_. I was winning, but just as I was about to finish everything, a friend of hers jumped in and balanced the scales. In the end, I was forced to use my full power on the final strike, as much as I hate to admit it."

"I never knew those novices could fight to such an extent," Alex said. "You think their two dormmates could be the same?"

"You mean Morgan and Nicole?" Molly asks. "After what happened, you'll never know. Especially Morgan. I think I felt a lot of mana flowing from the conjurer. I was never able to feel mana from other people before without trying."

"It seems these new batch of novices might be the Elite Initiates next year," Emily chuckles. "But Ashley, tell me how they fought."

"Knowing you, Emily, I'd rather let you experience it for yourself, you tricky girl," Ashley mumbled.

"Aw. Come on, Ashley~"

"Well… The two wizards I fought against were a pyromancer swordswoman with great resolve, and a young man who was able to mix necromancy and thaumaturgy. As far as I could tell, he could even change his form," Ashley explained. "The pyromancer's name was Scarlet Night. The novice summoned three firecats at once, then casted a spell I have never seen before; a sword of fire formed from her wand. I was pretty sure it wasn't even a treasure card."

"I know that spell," Alexander speaks up. "It's a spell that's rarely used, called the Cinderblade Cutlass. The spell is of magus-to-master ranked, depending on how much mana you pour into it. You certainly won't see it in magic duels."

"Really?" Emily says with intrigue. The diviner was scribbling down fine handwriting in her notebook, taking notes.

"The pyromancer managed to keep up with my martial arts," Ashley added on. "But I think she would prove ineffective towards mid-ranged and long-ranged wizards, like you, Emily."

"You think a master strategist doesn't know about that?" Emily says, smiling along the way. "I've fought dog knights before."

Alexander settles down on a beanbag. "Swords, huh?"

"Did you get inspired, Alex?" Molly asks. "A sword of fire?"

"How should I forge magic into swords?" Alex asks himself.

"I wonder how Alex is able to keep up his grades while practicing metalwork and blacksmithing," Ashley wonders aloud.

"Ashley, why don't you tell me about this other wizard," Emily requests, having her wand pen on the pages of her thick notebook.

Ashley blinks at Emily, or at least tries to. "Ah yes, Adrian Kensington…"

Emily tilts her head. "You mean the one that was placed in the Violet Nightingales' section of the girls' dorms?"

Ashley nods. "That's right. He was strangely able to effectively combine the magics of ice and death. I did not feel any sorcery in the works either. It was as if Adrian actually fused those magics into one. There's not much I can tell you about him, as I am blind and only able to see mana. But I'll tell you this, taking a kick from him could break your bones. Break a boulder even. Perhaps you could ask _Alexanderu-kun._ He witnessed the fight."

Emily takes Ashley's suggestion and glances at her fellow conjurating wizard.

"Oh?" Alex stumbled with his words. "Oh uh, well, um. He had these seven ice crystals floating around him. They talked on their own and followed his orders, like they were clockworks or robots or something."

"Oh yes, those," Ashley recalls. "I saw little mana in them. I could not even dispel them."

"Dude, with those seven things, he like shot some kind of energy beam of ice magic out of his palm, blowing a hole in the leaves of Bartleby," Alex added on. "It was all just raw magic."

"Mhmm~ Please, go on," Emily says, having her notebook hover around her as she takes out another notepad to write on, crossing her legs to get comfortable.

Alexander blinks at Emily, watching her take notes like a madman… madwoman. "Y-Yeah, he was also able to change his body parts into ice magic like Adrian was part snow elemental."

"And in the end, Scarlet used Adrian as a human weapon or something when she couldn't use her sword of fire," Ashley concluded.

"Hmm…" Emily Stormheart now had a bunch of summoned notebooks around her, making the diviner a literal cocoon of books orbiting around an insane researcher. "So lemme get this straight…"

Emily drops a fist in her palm. "This Adrian person, is a snow elemental that fights like a ninja pig, who is also a wraith, and is a sword!"

"I think he was actually a whip, but I guess you could say that," Alex shrugs.

"Great!" Emily snaps her fingers and all of the notebooks are faced towards Molly, Ashley, and Alex. "I guess I can show you what info I've gathered and counteractive stratagems for Adrian and Scarlet!"

"But I'm blind," Ashley says.

"Oh. No thanks, Emily. We're just fine-" Alex's words stop dead in their tracks as he looks to Emily's 'notes.'

"Emily, this is all just kindergarten drawings!" Alex points out.

The conjurer observes in disbelief at all the pages, showing poorly drawn crayon pictures of "strategies," a snow elemental dressed in ninja clothes, kicking a supposed figure of Ashley, and a blonde girl in red clothes with sharp teeth, angry face, and a sword of fire.

"Hey, you know what?" Emily knocks her head against Alex's. "Why don't ya SHYADDUP? How's that sound?"

"Now, now," Molly says, looking nervously at Emily with her hands repeatedly floating down. "Why don't we just calm down to a nice cup of tea-"

"THIS IS HOW I TAKE NOTES, ALEX," Emily yells.

"I don't see how childish drawings can be notes," Alexander whimpers with a forced smile.

"You two be quiet, or I'll have you do all the gardening for the necromancers," Ashley spat out.

Immediately, the storm and myth wizards shut up.

"Eheh," Molly chuckles. "Thank you, Ashley-dear."

Emily lets out a huff of tense air and shuts close her multiple notebooks with indignance.

"Well. We all know that out of the four of us," Molly starts, "Ashley is the strongest. I wonder how you guys will fare against Scarlet and Adrian."

"Well you'll never know," Emily shruggled with a smirk. "Ashley is all power. Alex is the tricksy type. I'm the girl with a plan! I bet they can't get a step towards me without a Weakness around their heads and a storm shark's maw on their ankles."

"Perhaps if you face them one on one," Ashley warns. "The fire and ice wizards have surprising teamwork."

"Alright then," Emily says, as she draws a crude, crayon drawing of a girl pyromancer and a boy thaumaturge, hugging each other in a flower meadow surrounded by defeated opponents of all kinds.

Alexander leans over to see what new 'notes' Emily has made this time, but she swipes her notebook away and sticks a tongue out at Alex. Molly glances over at Emily with concern.

"Don't tell me you're going to start a fight as well?" the theurgist asks.

Emily Stormheart shakes her head and squeezes onto her thick notebook. "This might be useful in the future. You can never be too sure."

"I expect no less of a wizard descended from a Dragonspyrian general," Ashley smiles, turning to the sound of Emily's voice.

The diviner grins in response and tugs down on her rain hat. "So what do you guys plan to do? Hey Alex, did you not give that Adrian person the tour today?"

"Huh?" Alexander perks up to the sound of his own name. "Oh yeah, I did. I guess the rest of the tour is canceled because of that battle between Ash versus Scarlet and Adrian."

"Well…" Molly's hand glows with green magic as she waves it over Ashley, then nods afterwards. "Just a little magical bio-scan. Your mana should recover soon, Ashley. Anyways, I have to return to the Infirmary. I still have patients with reports of burns and necrovulnus."

"Necro- what?" Alex tilts his head at Molly. "What's necrovulnus?"

"Necrovulnus is a condition after being wounded by undead. If not treated, it can be fatal on your spirit's health, making you unable to regenerate mana, and cause the wound to rot," Molly explained.

"Oooh, that's nasty," Alex says, flinching at the thought. "W-Wait, you said undead. Where in Wizard City would there be undead?"

"Normally, incidents like that come from the Death School, usually a mistake in class presentations. However, these cases are all coming from Triton Avenue, strangely. Even the Dark Cave and Haunted Cave," Molly explains further. "Why would wizards venture into the caves?"

"Triton Avenue?" Emily crosses her arms with fingers around her chin. "I'll report to Professor Balestrom on this. Maybe the Gryphonbane siblings will be sent."

"That's a good idea to report to Balestrom," Molly says. "But don't you think you should go yourself, or with other wizards?"

Emily sighs and shakes her head. "Times are busy for me, especially with all the upcoming matches at the Arena. Perhaps the Headmaster will have a say in this and send us to Triton Avenue. Perhaps even the other two streets. I heard rumors about rogue fire elves and cyclopes."

Alex listens intently on the words of Wizard City's troubles. "Or…"

Everyone else turns to Alexander. "Or?"

The conjurer blinks at everyone and begins to speak. "Scarlet, Adrian, Nicole, and Morgan. They said that they were sent to Unicorn Way by Headmaster Ambrose. That's the reason why Unicorn Way was able to reopen. Perhaps the Headmaster will send to them to the Three Streets as well."

"But are they not novices?" Emily asks. "We are only on our first quarter of the school year."

"They did what they were supposed to and even fought that skeleton, Rattlebones. The Violet Nightingale girls, and guy, uncovered that Malistaire really was the reason for Wizard City's troubles," Alex explains.

"I always believed Professor Malistaire was a good person," Ashley says. "I was wrong."

The Four Elite Initiate mused into silence. Alex thought about how Malorn Ashthorn felt about Malistaire, as a teacher. Ashley also had the same thoughts that Malistaire must've had a reason for his evil acts. Ever since his wife, Sylvia Drake the former life professor, died of a sickness, Malistaire Drake did seem to act differently. She recalled his behaviors up until the fall of the Death School and the disappearance of its professor.

Emily starts to get up from the bed. "Anyways, I should go and report to Professor Balestrom…"

Back at the Violet Nightingales' part of the Girls' Dormitories, Adrian also thought about Malorn's words about his teacher; that Malistaire wasn't a bad man, only pained. The thaumaturge had woken up a while ago, two hours after Scarlet fell asleep. He was sitting up on the bed with Scarlet beside him, with his half of the blanket wrapped around him. Adrian's mind was mixed with all kinds of thoughts. Numbers and codes floated alongside memories of the battle with Ashley, and Malorn's thoughts about Malistaire. All of that came to a stop as Adrian heard the creak of a door and a fluttering of feathers and wings. The sounds made him question and he stretched his limbs and yawned. It was a struggle, but Adrian managed to get off the bed and onto his feet. Cautiously, the thaumaturge stepped slowly, careful not to strain his legs too much.

"Oho, that is quite enough, young wizard," a new voice sounded.

Adrian glanced up to see an old, bearded man with a monocle, dressed in starry, purple robes.

The ice wizard sighs and plops back onto the bed, beside Scarlet. "Headmaster Ambrose?"

Merle nods, while a white owl with glasses, dressed in a mortarboard and scarf that matched Ambrose's colors, flew in to land on the bed.

"I heard that you and Scarlet challenged a fight against Ashley Breeze the Elite Initiate in a _demonstration_ for Professor Wethersfield's class," Ambrose says, chuckling a bit while stroking his beard. "I now see the results for myself."

Adrian smirks and looks beside him, to the owl then to his pyromantic friend. "Scarlet here started the battle and I couldn't help but jump in to balance the sides."

"I see, I see," Ambrose smiles along, but then he adjusts his monocle in discomfort. "Mister Adrian… Are you um, do you usually sleep in the same bed as Scarlet?"

Adrian innocently shakes his head, not knowing why Ambrose would raise the question. "I woke up here in Nicole's bed alongside Scarlet. I haven't seen Morgan or Nicole anywhere."

Ambrose kept silent, and then coughed into his arm. "Anyways, I came to talk about the matters of Wizard City."

Adrian raised his brow. "More trouble?"

" _Hoo~ Hoo~"_ the owl spoke up. "We have received information about recent incidents from an hour ago. Patients are injured and inflicted with necrovulnus, all of them reported to come from Triton Avenue. It seems that more undead swarms the street of storms than before, and they are attacking."

"I see…" Adrian says, looking at the owl intently. "The owl… can talk."

The white owl was just as confused as Merle Ambrose. "You didn't catch anything that I just said, didn't you?"

"No, no, I did," Adrian chuckles. "I just never saw a talking owl before."

"The owl's name is Gamma," Ambrose says. "But anyways, back to the matter on hand."

"Are you saying you want us to go to this Triton Avenue?" Adrian asks.

The headmaster nods. "Not just Triton, but Firecat Alley and Cyclops Lane as well."

"Well as you can see," Adrian starts, gesturing to himself and Scarlet. "We are pretty mashed up from the last battle. Plus, it would be pretty tiring if the four of us were to jump from street to street, handling each of the problems."

"And that is why you four will split up," Ambrose says.

"What?" Adrian looked a bit surprised. "I think going individually would endanger us."

"I am well aware of that," Merle Ambrose says, smiling a bit.

"Which is why we are sending wizards to assist each of you students," Gamma hoots. "You have proved your powers."

"Wait, who's going to be with us?" Adrian asks.

"Other students that you should be familiar with," Ambrose smiles.

Adrian tilts his head. "Other students?"

"Sounds like a plan," Scarlet speaks up.

The pyromancer stretches on the bed and sits up, yawning and weakly leaning on Adrian.

"Gooood morning," Scarlet moans. "Or is it still early afternoon?"

"Tis' 1:48," Adrian reads on the clock above.

"Ooooh?"

Scarlet's head lazily slid off of Adrian shoulder and she collapsed onto his legs, yawning even louder.

"Since when did you wake up?" Adrian questions with a raised eyebrow.

"I heard annoying owl hoot," Scarlet mumbles. "I don't like owls."

" _Whoo, whoo_ doesn't like owls?" Gamma asks, showing a bit of hostility to Scarlet.

"Shut up," Scarlet moans, drowsily raising a finger to Gamma. "I'll make bird soup out of you."

"Wh-What?" Gamma steps back, seeming bewildered.

"Actually," Adrian smiles. "Owl seems like a good ingredient by itself in a soup. Good flavor~"

Gamma shivers and the owl flies up behind Merle Ambrose, shivering in fear. "These students are wolves!"

"Actually, I'm also part lion," Adrian throws out.

"A lion!" Gamma exclaims.

"Now now, Gamma, students. Please don't talk about using each other in soups," Ambrose chuckles worriedly.

"Okay," Adrian goes along. "Then we can deep fry the owl instead."

"That actually sounds tasty as well," Scarlet simply blurts out.

Gamma squawks and shrieks and shook in fear, while Adrian and Scarlet giggled to each other and Ambrose smiled, also snickering a bit.

Gamma flutters urgently around the room. "Wolves, lions! _HOOOOT!"_

"Relax, owl," Scarlet calls out. "We aren't gonna eat you, but you're still annoying."

"Wolves!"

Gamma flew out of the room and Ambrose shook his head at Adrian and Scarlet.

"But anyways," the headmaster starts to speak, "I am sorry to strain your bodies but I feel it is urgent that you wizards are sent to these three streets as soon as possible. I do not believe we can wait around to see the outcomes of the streets, and eventually, all of Wizard City."

"Well then pray to the gods or something that we can get better soon," Scarlet says. "Wait, Adrian, what was that about you being part lion?"

"Huh? O-Oh."

Adrian meant to keep silent about it, but he figured it would be more bothersome to cover it up.

"I have canis and panthera blood within me. Marleybonian and Zafarite blood be exact."

"Canis, panthera…" Scarlet raised her brow on it. "Dog and panthers?"

"Panthera, as in Leo; Lion, as I said before," Adrian chuckles. "You've oughta take some biology classes.

"Oh don't make me look dumb, stupid," Scarlet says, punching Adrian lightly.

Adrian smiles from the little nudge and rubs his shoulder, where Scarlet hit.

"Anyways," Merle Ambrose speaks up. "I had not planned for you two to start a scuffle with the Green Peregrines' prefect, so my plans for the Three Streets are a bit delayed… Hmm~"

The Headmaster looks to his palm. His hand started to tremble and shake. The light around his hand broke, visually distorting his fingers, until his staff popped into existence, landing in his palm.

"Now, where did I put that deck?" Ambrose questions himself.

His somewhat elderly, bony fingers dig into his white beard, pulling out a deck, bundled together by a leather strap. With that, he slips out a green spellcard and throws it up, letting it float in the air. Without even saying anything or drawing a magic rune, the green card glows into a viridian shine and takes shape, dimming the gleaming light into a unicorn. The unicorn mare neighed and shook her mane, as Scarlet and Adrian cast their eyes upon the beautiful creature.

"Keep this young mare with you, young wizards," Headmaster Ambrose instructs. "She will heal you in time, most likely to full health by tomorrow."

Scarlet blinks at Merle's gift. "O-Oh. Thank you, old man!"

"This is greatly appreciated, sir," Adrian says with a subtle smile.

The old wizard nods his head and strokes his white beard. "Do ready yourself when time presents itself. Now Gamma! Return to me."

A weak hoot comes from the hallway and Gamma the Owl returns, hovering by Ambrose's side. The two disappears in a poof of magic dust. The unicorn was still in the room. The mare comes to the side of the bed and bows to Adrian and Scarlet. An aura surrounds the unicorn's horn and rainbows surrounds the pyromancer and thaumaturge in a circle, appearing like colorful ribbons wreathing around each other. Scarlet glances around at the colorful life magic. She begins to feel lively and full of fresh air, but her burns doesn't seem to heal.

"I guess this magic has to take some time," Scarlet observes.

"I think with this method, it's supposed to heal us more thoroughly," Adrian says.

"How can you tell?"

"Logic. Aren't unicorns supposed to heal you instantly?"

"You're right!" Scarlet put her thought on it. "I've been healed that way by a unicorn before. It didn't cover everything."

"Well, for now, let's just get some rest," Adrian suggested.

The thaumaturge lies back down on the bed and lets out a sigh.

Scarlet blinks at her friend and scratches her cheek with a finger. "Hey Adrian…"

"What is it, mate?"

"Don't you feel uncomfortable sleeping with somebody else? Like, especially with a girl?"

Adrian tilts his head. "No. I don't see why it should be."

He shrugs.

"Come on, lava girl. You need rest."

"Lava girl?" Scarlet smiles and shakes her head. "I don't think that fits me."

The pyromancer carefully levels herself onto the bed, cautious to not trigger pain on her sore muscles. With that, she pulls up the blanket.

"You know… I _do_ usually sleep alone," Adrian starts. "But I have slept with somebody else in my life."

"What?" Scarlet raises her brow to the ceiling. "You already have a girlfriend?"

"What? No. I was going to say my mother."

"Oh…" Scarlet blushes a bit at her recent words.

"I dunno," Adrian says. "I only slept with her once when I was a child. My parents weren't exactly fond of me, you see. I was only able to do so because… Because I had a nightmare or something."

"Oh…" Scarlet's eyes soften. "I never knew my parents. I was adopted by a badger. He was an old fart."

Adrian chuckles into the blanket. "Did he love you?"

"Though it didn't seem like it…" Scarlet smiles warmly. "He did."

Adrian smiles along. "I never felt the warmth of another person, besides that one time with my mother when I was a child. Even so, I couldn't feel her _warmth_ anyways."

"What do you mean?"

Adrian rolls onto his side and faces Scarlet. "I never felt her affection, her care. I could never call her mommy, instead of mother… But ever since I met you guys, I kinda felt those things. You know. Caring and a sense of affection, though you keep yelling and stuff."

Scarlet blinks at his words and snicker. "Sorry."

The fire wizard turns toward her friend. "But you know, we're all friends here. After Unicorn Way, I think I felt getting closer with you guys."

Scarlet shakes her head. "But enough of that mushy stuff."

The pyromancer stuffs Adrian's head into a pillow and giggles.

"Let's get some sleep, perv."

Adrian's rolls his eyes and smiles along. "Yeah, sure."


	16. Her Name Was Arienne

**Today is Arienne's birthday.**

It was her eighth year to be exact. But she didn't know. All she ever knew was fists, blood, bruises, and fights. And once again, it was going to start all over. Arienne laid on the ground with random strands of hay lying around by a stable, as three humanoid figures approached her tired body. A young fox, a stocky dog, and a pudgy frog, all dressed in cheap tunics, older in age, and bullies from their schools.

"Well what do we 'ave here?" asked the dog.

"A _human_ think she can up 'an go 'an sleep in our turf?" the fox smirked.

"We'll show this lil' brat to just saunter up our alley like she's queen," the frog croaked.

**Arienne had beautiful blonde hair,** and amber eyes that were dimmed out from her fatigue. She laid there, unable to touch reality. She felt slight pangs of pain from kicks and stomps on her waist, gut, wherever it hurt most. Arienne's lifeless body was toyed around by punts and kicks from the dog, fox, and frog, but her hair still remained pretty, sprawled out on the dry ground, next to the walls of a stable. Once the boys were done, they laughed and pointed at the roughed-up Arienne and took their leave. At that moment, Arienne's amber eyes started to burn, and her fingers twitched.

"Was I beaten up by these guys?" Arienne asked herself.

She watched the shadows of the dog, fox, and frog moved around on her body, and the laughter of the bullies reached her ears. Their jerk voices ticked Arienne off.

"Who do they think they are?"

Arienne bit her lip.

"These pigs dare stomp on my pride?"

Arienne growled silently.

"Why are their shadows on me?"

Arienne's fingers clenched into fists.

"Why are their goddamn, dirty shadows on me?"

Her teeth grinded together as her lifeless body had strings attatched to her joints. Arienne slowly got up and gazed at her abusers with resent.

"WHY ARE YOUR SHADOWS ON ME, YOU PEASANTS?!"

The fox, dog, and frog stopped in their tracks, a bit surprised, but they slowly turned to Arienne.

The fox's ear twitched. "Did that human just-"

The frog jumped. "Call us-"

The dog growled. "Peasants?"

The bullies smirked as their hands balled up to deliver another round of fists to Arienne, but then their eyes widened as their supposed victim did the same, walking slowly to the three with a limp in her steps and her bangs shadowing her eyes. Despite her opponents being bigger, she charged with no thoughts but only feelings of anger and disgust. Arienne could feel the bones breaking slightly as she brought her knuckles down on the chubby dog, dislocating his snout and making him fall hard into the dirt, letting the momentum roll him into a wooden barrel. **Arienne's hair was beautiful,** and her voice was high and like a fae warrior's. She made more petite war cries as she came down upon the stocky dog, delivering more punches. Each hit was getting progressively weaker and inaccurate as her breathing becoming heavier. Finally, she was satisfied with her latest piece of work, a bruised and beaten dog child. She had bloodied hands to compliment the evidence of her self-righteous deed. **Arienne's hair was pristine,** but her eyes were cold and unforgiving, as the young girl turned to the remaining bullies; the fox and the frog.

"Dirty, disgusting, worthless excuses for living beings," Arienne thought to herself. "They stepped on my pride, and so I'll step on their hearts."

Arienne's feet could have been calloused from walking on bare feet all of her life, but they never got that way, staying soft and like a baby's. She approached the bullies with menacing steps and clenched fists. The fox and frog's faces showed fear, and they took out their daggers. Arienne didn't care. She just wanted to see the pain and ugly regret on their faces as she delivered her punishment. **Arienne's hair flowed with the air** as she leaped, grabbing onto the fox's neck and crashing him into the ground. The fox let out a painful yip as the back of his head made impact with the ground. He managed to make a slight cut on her shoulder, but that only served as all the more reason to have Arienne drive the fox's black nose in with her fist, filled with rage.

"You bloody-"

_Slam._

"-Disgusting-"

_Whack._

"-Miserable-"

_Crack._

"-FUCKING EXCUSE FOR A PERSON!"

Arienne continued her barrage of punches. Suddenly a sharp twinge of pain shot into her side. The agony of a deep cut on her sides numbed out all of her other senses. Though the pain pulsed intensely, Arienne's instincts overrode her urge to drop cold, making her hop forward, away from danger, and twisted around to see the frog with his dagger drawn. Red fluids of life dripped down the edge.

"My blood…" Arienne spoke in her mind. "My blood shouldn't be on the knife of an ugly being like that frog!"

More blood spurted out of her large wound, but she didn't care. She darted for the young, bloated frog, catching him surprised and trembling in fear. Though she was smaller, her hand went for the frog's wrist, the other pressed on his chest, and her foot went behind the frog's foot, making her able to trip the frog backwards and into the dirt with a thud. She was now sitting on top of the frog's pot belly. For the moment, the frog was able to prevail against Arienne in her attempt to bring the knife into his throat by his own hands, but Arienne's free hand made a stunning blow on the frog's cheek. With the bully's hand free of the knife, she raises the blade. **Arienne's hair shined elegantly,** like the unbloodied part of her dagger's silver edge, as she brought it down upon the frog.

"That's quite enough, young lady."

A tightness appeared around Arienne's wrist, and her arm was pulled back. The frog bully, who was under Arienne, was now a frog coward. Quickly, he crawled out from under his attacker and made a run for it. Arienne was panting. Her eyes gazed upon the outlines of the shadow that consumed her own. She looked above her shoulder to find an old badger, whose figure was burly and scarred, and clothed in a blacksmith's attire. His face was worn, and he wore a fine mustache. Arienne tried to retaliate, but the pain from her deep cut on her side that she managed to put to sleep, awakened once again. It was now the pain's turn to put Arienne to sleep.

* * *

Arienne regained consciousness, but the eight-year-old was still in a daze. Her wrists were tied up and bound by a rope, while her legs were fastened by a belt. Arienne found herself tied to a wooden post, in a basement. The only lighting there was is a large furnace. The large wound on her side still bled. A large figure approached her; a silhouette of a buff, burly, brawny badger man. He had a stick, with a pointed end. The pokey end glowed red, like it was made of metal, heated in the furnace behind the badger. Slowly, the glowing, red, pointed end of the stick approached her wound.

"No. Wh-What are you doing?" Arienne asked.

She tries to struggle and squirm around, but her bindings kept her still.

"No! St-Stop!"

The stick came closer.

"STOP!" she screamed.

As soon as the intense heat reached her deep cut, the pain overtook Arienne, and a shroud of black covered her eyes.

Her eyelids opened to reveal her delicate, yet strong amber irises to a ceiling made of wood. Arienne found herself in a small, one-room house with a fireplace, dining table, candles, bed, and stairs to a lower level. She wasn't bound to the wooden post any longer. Instead, Arienne was tucked into this soft bed. This was a feeling that was incomparable to sleeping on dirt, or hay. It wasn't itchy. It wasn't hard. The pillows were soft. The warmth from the fireplace and blanket made her want to snuggle in. But soon, all those feelings disappeared after she saw the old badger again. He was watching Arienne from the dining table while also running his finger along a blunt sword.

"No, no, get away from me," Arienne says, backing up from the bed to the wall, but she wasn't able to due to a new weakness in her muscles.

"And so you're awake," the badger says, with a gruffy, rough voice.

Arienne remembered the heated stick, like hot metal, coming close to her wound. She struggles to back up onto the wall.

"G-Get away."

"Calm down, pisspot," the badger grumbled.

"Get-Get away!" Arienne repeated.

The badger lets out an irritated sigh. "Would you just look at your wou-"

"GET AWAY!" Arienne screamed.

"LOOK AT YER FLEA-MANGLED WOUND, PISSPOT!" the badger roared.

Normally, Arienne would've stepped up to the challenge blindly, but she already terrified. After repeating the badger's words in her mind, Arienne followed his command, and uncovered herself of her blanket. There was nothing on her except for underwear covering her private down-theres and bandages all over her bruises. Bandages wrapped around the young girl's arms, chest, thigh, and legs. She then immediately felt for where the large cut was on her right side. It was sore and wrapped up in cloth bandages. She peeked under the cloth to see that her large wound was now closed.

"How..?" Arienne managed to squeak.

"I seared it shut with hot ironwood," the badger said.

"How is that even possible?" she asks.

"I don't know, pisspot. It just works. Using ironwood as a metal to close your wound was risky. It's a dangerous, magical wood once lit, and chopped from a certain tree. It was the only thing I had around at the time."

The badger wheezed and coughed into his fist, then gets up off the chair and onto his feet.

"Who's kid are ye', pisspot?"

Arienne kept silent at question, but managed to let out a few words. "I have no parents."

"That so?" The badger rubbed his rough beard. "What's yer name?"

"If you'll stop calling me pisspot," she started, "my name is Arienne."

"I'll keep callin' ye pisspot anyways, pisspot," the badger says. "Arienne, that's a..."

The badger went into silence for a bit. For a second, Arienne thought she could've seen the old badger smile.

"Arienne is a… an elegant name," the badger grumbles.

"Then what is your name, old fart?"

"Hrm?" The old badger turns to the fireplace. "Bourke de la Janvier."

"Bork," Arienne tries to repeat.

"B _our_ ke," he pronunciates.

"Whatever," Arienne says. "Where am I?"

"The Wild."

"That's a long way from Caer Lyon..."

"So what," Bourke gruffed out. "Why did you beat those kids up?"

She bit her lips, and Arienne's brows squeezed together in anger. "I was sleeping… I think. And… They were stomping and kicking me… They were disgusting. I felt I had to punch their sorry faces. I put their smug faces where they should be, in the ground, rotting, like the damn dregs and jerks they are."

"That's some strong language for a young 'un pisspot like ye,'" the badger comments roughly.

Bourke almost seemed to smile again.

"I'd wash it if I were ye."

* * *

**Two years had passed.** Arienne found her home, living with Bourke in The Wild. She was now ten years old. She came to know her own age. Even though Arienne and Bourke kept arguing, they were like father and daughter. Around the time of harvest, news has reached Arienne and Bourke de la Janvier, of a knight—named Sir Malory—who has been charged of high treason, and now leads the Froudlings. That also included other creatures of Weirwood, from Dun Dara, to Caer Lyon, in a conquest against King Artorius, the King of all Avalon.

"Dun Dara? Ain't that like close to where we are?" Arienne asks, as she washes a steel bowl in a watering trough.

"Too close," Bourke mumbled.

The old badger was old indeed, but his muscles were still of lumberjack quality. His arm kept pounding at a piece of yellow-white-hot metal, with a mallet of mixed metals. He kept hammering, then grinding all day, while Arienne tended around the house, though she found it boring. Despite that she was petite in size, her strength was enough to let her unload packs of flour and grains off a wagon and into Bourke's home, built into the base of an enormous tree. A furnace was built into the treehouse as well, with openings for the outdoors and indoors. On the side of the furnace, was an opening so it could be fed fuel. Fencing of strong wood was built around the tree home, making a field large enough for show horses to run around in. All of the area was below the giant canopy of the tree Bourke's house was built into. Finally, Arienne let down the last sack of grain and went outside to meet her father-figure, the old badger man.

"Whaddayer working on?" Arienne asks.

The old badger grunts and lifts a large piece of finely crafted metal out of a trough of water. The metal hissed and steam lifted from it.

"I've been getting orders of things I haven't made in a long time," the badger blacksmith said.

He raised his piece of work: a steel greatsword.

"It isn't done yet, pisspot. It still needs to have a good grip," Bourke says. "Can you get me some leather?"

The young girl rolls her eyes and huffs. "Where is it?"

"Check the chest by the side of the furnace," the badger points.

Arienne nods half-heartedly and goes to the specified location. Her eyes were cast upon a large, old, wood trunk. It creaked when Arienne's tiny hands opened the chest. Inside were scraps of metal, wood, and strips of leather, all organized neatly into three sections. She wasn't told how much she should've gotten, and so the blonde girl just scooped up a bunch into her thin, yet strong arms. Bourke's ear twitched and he turned his head to find Arienne approaching him with her arms full of leather strips.

"That's too much," the badger grumbled.

"You didn't say how much," Arienne pointed out.

The badger sighs. "Good point. But how much strips would've been good for a greatsword?

Arienne goes ahead and pours the leather strips by Bourke's side. The badger takes a few strips and settles down on a tree stump next to him, grumbling and humming roughly as he wove the leather around the sword's grip and foregrip.

"That should be good," de la Janvier summed up, and the old badger puts aside the greatsword to cool down.

"So what will we do if the Froudlings reach us, old man?" Arienne asked.

Bourke was about to grab his hammer, but he abruptly stopped. After a long pause and Arienne raising her brow, the badger grunts as he rises up from his wooden stump seat. He lumbers over to a rack full of weapons, and chooses out another greatsword. It wasn't like the other blades. The metal was mostly steel, but had shiny lines and veins of silver, crafted into the blade and edges. On closer inspection, Scarlet realized that it wasn't steel the sword was made of. Rather, it looked better than steel in fact. On the rain guard of the greatsword, was a small circle, with an image of a silver rose in the center. Bourke de la Janvier glances at Arienne, and then tosses the big weapon at the young child. Arienne raises a brow then scrambles to get out of the way.

"WHY'D YOU DO THAT?" Arienne exclaimed.

"You were supposed to catch it, pisspot," Bourke grunted.

The young girl turned to the well-shined sword, which rested on the grass.

"What's this sword made of?" Scarlet asked. "It doesn't look like steel."

Bourke raises his chin in tiny surprise. "Good eye. That's a combination of raven ebonil and Nordic steel."

Scarlet instantly regretted asking after being bombarded with blacksmith nerdery.

She goes and grabs at the hilt with a hand, but the young girl struggled to pick it up. The weapon was five and a half feet long, while Scarlet was only four and a half feet tall.

"Both hands," the badger instructed.

Arienne glanced at Bourke, then back to the greatsword. With both hands, she managed to haul the sword onto her shoulder. The sword was quite longer than Arienne's height, but she managed to make a few swings with it.

"Hmm…" The badger studied her strikes. "Your form is poor."

"That's because this is too big for me, you friggin' turtle," Arienne pouted.

"No, no. It's fine for you."

The old badger points at Arienne's legs with his hammer.

"Keep your knees bent. Stiff sticks will get you killed."

"This is crazy," Arienne scoffs as she follows along with Bourke's instructions.

The old badger man smirks and crosses his arms. "Why do you think I had you do all the heavy work?"

"Just so I could _lift_ this big thing?" Arienne spat back.

"Just drop it, give your limbs a few stretches, and try again," Bourke instructs.

The young blonde girl lets it fall onto the grass and she stares at the blade. "This isn't an ordinary sword, is it?"

The badger kept silent as she thought about the question. "It used to be mine."

"Doesn't look like you ever fought with it."

The badger sighs. "I and that sword went through lots of battles. She has her scratches and blunts, so I reforged her into what she is now. I bet the sword is excited to fight again."

"Why are you calling the sword a girl?" Arienne asked. "Are you a pervert?"

"Her name is Scarlet Rose," the badger says with a grim look.

"Scarlet?" Arienne gave a confused look. "This sword's white and shiny like clouds and coins!"

The badger stared at the sword for a while. "Scarlet Rose paints herself in the blood of the ones she's slain, until the battle is over. It's not a pretty sword to wield, Arienne."

The blonde girl perks up at the sound of her name being replaced with what Bourke would usually call her: pisspot.

"So you just get and at it and slash a few blokes," Arienne shrugs. "Sword turns red like roses."

"You don't know what it's like to kill people, pisspot," the badger grunts. "It's a scary feeling."

"What do you mean? You think I haven't killed anybody before?" Arienne asks.

The badger's eyes widen at her words. "Hey… Back then, when ye were fighting those three. You were serious about killing them?"

"You mean the dog, fox, and frog?" Arienne tilts her head. "They should've died. They're disgusting. They stepped on my pride like I'm some peasant. Other people shouldn't have to be able to deal with their filth."

Bourke stared at the blonde girl, astounded by her words. Thoughts began to fill the badger's mind.

_This child is not afraid to kill?_

* * *

**Three years had passed,** and the war between the Froudlings and Avalonian Kingdom had grown bigger. In that measure of time, Bourke had taught Arienne how to fight with the sword. No shields, just a sword. It wasn't long until the war had reached The Wild. Nearby villages had been caught on fire and the Froudlings were clashing with the knights of Avalon. Bourke de la Janvier had grown older, but his body had only gotten stronger, while Arienne was now at the age of thirteen. Her voice has grown a bit lower. Her body was made elegantly, like a lady's, instead of a warrior's. Her hair was blonde, still, but was paler than golden, but beautiful altogether. Arienne was now as almost as tall as a greatsword, about five feet, while the sword was six feet.

"What is this place?" Arienne asked. "There's a lot of midgets in green clothes."

The setting was of giant mushroom houses and small fences in a small opening around stone hills and a waterfall at the other end of the village. The skies were blue, with patches of clouds floating above. Knights were stationed by the fences of the mushroom town, foxes, dogs, and badgers of all kinds in armor, while leprechauns took refuge in their toadstool homes and caves made into the nearby mountain and stone hills.

"This is Toadstool Village," Bourke de la Janvier explained.

The old badger was in a full suit of iron armor, covering all of his body except for a helmet on his head. In one hand, he held an axe and shield on the other arm.

"Aren't you going to use your sword?" Arienne asked.

She was in a plain, tan tunic, with knee long pants, and roughed-up sandals. She had nothing with her that helped her fight. No armor, no nothing, except for the steel and silver greatsword; Scarlet Rose, in her small hands.

"I vowed never to use Scarlet Rose again," Bourke grumbled. "That sword is for a killer, not a knight. On the other hand, I thought I told you to leave the sword at home. And why do you wear no armor?"

"That armor you made for me makes me move like a tin man. And what do you mean, swords aren't meant for killing?" Arienne whines.

"No, pisspot. Swords are meant to protect the weak ones from harm. We as knights, that is our job," Bourke explained, as he stared into the distant path, scouting for enemies.

"Yeah, whatever," Arienne grumbled. "I ain't got anyone to protect."

The badger's ear twitched at her words. Bourke started to worry about Arienne, and how she would act.

"Well… Just remember what I taught you." The badger paused for a bit. "And stay alive… Arienne."

"Don't worry, old man," Arienne says with a confident smirk. "I had a good teacher."

For a moment, the old badger actually smiled. Bourke turned back and continued scouting for any threats in the distance, while Arienne sat on a toadstool, playing with a piece of grass. A dog knight came to Bourke's side, patting his shoulderguard.

"So why is this child here?" the dog knight questioned. "Is she seriously going to fight?"

"I trained her well, Simeon," the badger answered.

"So you say…" the dog knight mumbles. "Well anyways, it's good to have a Knight of the Silver Rose back with us."

"I'm only doing this for the sake of my house," Bourke grunted.

"Right…"

The dog knight shrugged and went back to his post, as de le Janvier watched him off. Suddenly, a guard from the high hills shouted and alerted.

"The enemy is here!"

Every knight guarding the area took hold of their swords' hilts, and readied for battle. War cries exploded across the shallow gorge of Toadstool Village, both belonging to the knights of Avalon and the Froudlings. Short, long-eared trolls with axes, slingshots, and spears charged into the knights, who held polearms, crossbows, swords, and shields. Though all the warriors met in battle, Bourke and Arienne stood still in their regular positions.

"So what are we waiting for?" Arienne asks as she hauled the Scarlet Rose over her shoulder.

"Our job here is to wait, observe, and bring down a certain target among the battlefield," the old badger grunted. "An disloyal fox knight by the name of Gravely. He is the one is leading this charge against the citizens of the Wild. We capture him if we can. Otherwise, we execute him."

"Ah, can't I just run in already?" Arienne huffed and kicked a blade of grass as her feet swung around while she sat on her toadstool.

"This is a battlefield, pisspot. This is your first time in a war. Once we find our target, we charge for him," Bourke planned down. "Oh, and pisspot? At least get some proper armor."

"Hmm?"

Arienne's blonde hair swishes around as she glances at the armory. It was a tent, with two weapon racks by the entrance, and a bunch of other equipment inside. She sprinted for the armory and came back to Bourke, dressed in leather boots, iron arm bracers, leather armor, and steel shoulder guards. However, she was still in her tunic and raggy, short knee-long pants.

Bourke raised a furry eyebrow. "That's it?"

"As I said, I can't run around in clunky armor," Arienne moaned.

"Should've stuck to a short sword or dagger instead, with wee armor like that."

"I'd rather run around like a rabbit and the enemy won't even know what hit them," Arienne smirked.

Bourke's eyes narrowed onto Arienne, fretting if letting her into battle was a good idea. The old badger man kept watching her expressions; the attitude in her body, and her fingers, gripped around the sword's hilt as the blade rested flat on her shoulder. Suddenly, she points out to the mass of knights and Froudlings.

"That it?" Arienne asks as she squinted into the distance.

The badger grumbled questioningly and followed her finger to a point in the field. It took him a while, but among the red and yellow trolls and Froudling-kin, he marked a masked knight in dark, spiked armor. Bourke de la Janvier frowned and took a firm grip of his axe and shield handles.

"Follow my lead," the badger instructed.

Bourke's old, but tough and burly figure dressed in steel armor, leaped over the fence and down the stone hill, sliding down and meeting the grass on the bottom. Arienne slung her sword under her arm and took hold of the crossguard like a crossbow, as she hopped down the stone hill, following in Bourke's charge as he called for other knights out of the way, and the two found theirselves in a storm of chaos and clashing steel. Arienne leaped up onto Bourke's shoulders to get a higher view, and pointed in the direction of the disloyal knight, Gravely. Bourke took her directions and continued his devastating charge, running into the Froudlings' territory. The old badger knight roared and bashed Froudlings out of his way like a rampaging bull. Soon, Bourke found himself surrounded by well-armored trolls that he could only fight through with his weapon. The badger turned around to call for Arienne, but she was nowhere to be found.

"That kid," Bourke muttered as he raised his shield and axe.

The Froudlings around Bourke were taller and thicker than the other trolls and wood elves. They kept approaching de la Janvier from all directions, until a sound of metal piercing flesh was made among the ranks of the armored Froudlings. Bourke's eyes widened and the old badger twisted around to glance behind him. The largest troll, yellow in color, with iron armor, fell flat onto the grass with a heavy thud. Arienne was above his body, pulling her greatsword, Scarlet Rose, out from the nape of the troll's neck. As she swung the greatsword onto her shoulder, a third of the sword's length was painted with blood, which soon flowed through the silver veins in its steel blade.

"Whoopsies, looks like I got the first blood here," Arienne said as she smirked.

The young blonde girl glances around and casually counted her foes with a finger as the trolls and wood elves glared at Arienne in disbelief. It wasn't long until the Froudlings shook the thought off and raised their voices, as they charged for Bourke and Arienne.

"Oi, pisspot!" the badger called out for Arienne. "Make this quick, before our target notices and has time to run away!"

His words were stopped as he was forced to bash away a large double-axe and swing his axe at a red troll, making a juicy chop into the troll's breastplate and chest. After bringing his enemy down, he caught a glimpse of Arienne's blonde hair. The young girl dragged her greatsword up, bisecting a wood elf in two, and then swung her weapon clean through another burly troll. She wielded her greatsword like it weighed nothing to her, either with one hand or two hands, backwards or forwards. It didn't matter to her. Arienne spun around and danced with her instrument of death, bringing down many Froudlings with no thought. The skies had splatters and vines of bloodshed, flying above the mass of soldiers. She laughed and giggled as she jumped from shoulder to shoulder, to dash above Bourke and thrust her greatsword into another burly troll's chest, driving the fresh corpse into the ground like a snowboard. Arienne flipped her blood-soaked hair as she hauled her Scarlet Rose out of her latest kill and rested it behind her neck. Now the greatsword was bathed in alizarin crimson. Blood dripped off the edge, but the blade still held on to a layer of the blood, like a blanket made from the foes that were slain by it. The light color of the steel below the layer of the blood made the greatsword appear in a scarlet hue; a bright shade of red. Bourke stared at Arienne, eyes widened with horror. The greatsword, Scarlet Rose, reawakened and baptized in the fluid of life by a young girl. Her hair was no longer beautifully blonde like a princess's. A wicked smile was across her cheeks, and all of her body & armor was covered in the dark red blood of her enemies. Arienne had a foot on her latest kill and her head tilted back to stare at the skies above, now all grey and cloudy, with a tint of orange from the fires of the other areas in the Wild. To Bourke, it was like a painting of a bloodthirsty devil, standing triumphant above its enemy in front of a town set on fire. The old badger couldn't believe that he had held the same sword that the devil had held. He knew that he could've looked like a killer to others, but the sight he saw was worse than he had imagined. The image of the blood-soaked demon was bored into his mind. Bourke was in a daze, until a faint voice grew in his mind. It became louder and louder until he could finally snap back to reality.

"Hey, old fart!"

Bourke shook his head and cleared his eyes to see Arienne in front of him. She was still covered in blood, but all the Froudlings around the two were slain and dropped dead. The badger glared at the scene around him in horror.

"Y-You did all this?" Bourke asked Arienne.

"You just stood there like a dumbass," she explained with a shrugged.

Though Arienne was horrifyingly bathed in blood, she gave her father-figure a toothy smile. Bourke stared at Arienne's grin, seeming to be calmed down by her cheeriness.

"Well. Um…" Bourke cleared his throat. "Where is Gravely?"

"Over there."

Arienne pointed nearby towards the end of the Toadstool Village gorge, to a fox knight in dark, spiky armor, with a multitude of wood elf archers by his side. The archers' bows were drawn with fire-tipped arrows. Gravely drew out his arm in a command.

"FIRE!"

Bourke heard Gravely's order and raised his shield in front of Arienne. The rain of arrows clunked and pitter-pattered on his shield like raindrops, while the rest of the arrows landed around them, with the fire on the arrow's heads smothered out by the dirt.

"Heh. Thanks, old man," Arienne says.

She slips around Bourke and runs towards Gravely with her blood-bathed greatsword.

The badger's eyes widened and he yelled out. "Arienne! Stop! Come back-"

Too late. Feathered sticks sprouted out of her body, and the thud of the arrows driving into Arienne's chest was audible to Bourke, who was three sword-lengths away from Arienne. The blonde girl's amber eyes widened as she felt the sharp pain on her bosom, shoulder, and abdomen. All Bourke could do was watch helplessly as his only daughter, burst into flames from the fiery arrows. Her body was now a silhouette drowned in fire, taking a pose like Arienne was reaching for the surface while she was underwater in an ocean of despair. Heartbroken, the old badger dropped his axe, and then dropped onto his knees.

Bourke couldn't help but roar out in despair, "Arienne!"

For the first time in his life, he felt that his eyes were going to well up. His rough, grizzly voice was now cracking up.

"A.. rie.. enne..."

A tear finally began to form, and escape Bourke's eyes, slowly sliding down the fur on his face. As soon as that tear drop touched a blade of grass, the devastated old badger's ear twitched, and he caught something in his eye.

A finger twitched.

The elbow bent.

Arienne's silhouette began to move, inch by inch, getting progressively faster into natural human motions. Her body was still on fire, but Bourke couldn't make out any expression on Arienne's face, as it was blocked out by the bright flames. Her arm continued to slowly move, grabbing at the arrows and ripping them out of her body. Everyone watched her, with emotions of confusion, mixed with fear. As she tore out the last arrow, the fire on Arienne blazed into a pillar of raging inferno. Bourke was able to see Arienne again. Blood was no longer on her body. Her skin was fine and clean like a baby's. The arrow wounds on her torso and shoulder began to close up. Bourke watched in amazement as Arienne dragged her greatsword; the Scarlet Rose, in front of her, with her shoulder pulled down by its weight. The blade of the sword was still scarlet red, but Arienne herself was pristine, **and her hair was now golden blonde,** like when she was younger, unlike her usual pale blonde hair. She raised her greatsword to the sky with two hands. The blazing, intense fire that burned on Arienne's figure spread up to cover her weapon. With a strong cry, she brought the blade of fire brought it down in a horizontal swing, launching a fang of flames at Gravely and his archers. The enemies were consumed by the fire like a big wave, instantly disintegrating the wood elf archers into black ashes, while Gravely flew backwards into a wall carved into a stone hill, crashing and cracking the stone where he landed in. After Arienne's grand attack, she loses her battle ready stance and the fire on the girl stopped and dissipated into the sky, and her golden blonde hair returned to its paler color. Bourke kept staring at Arienne, dumbstruck by what had just happened. Finally, he managed to crack out a few words.

"What was that?"

The words slipped into Arienne's ear and she turned to her adoptive father. "I don't know, but that felt _awesome_."

After hearing her words, the old badger thought about what had happened and widened his eyes in realization. Memories faded back into his conscience as he remembered long ago when he closed Arienne's large wound on her side. He used a stick of heated ironwood to sear the wound shut.

" _It's a dangerous, magical wood once lit, and chopped from a certain tree_ ," Bourke once said to Arienne.

Scarlet Rose was dropped onto the grass as Arienne held her hands up in front of her face, observing her palms, and then she patted where the arrows once were in her body, patting all over her shoulders, abdomen, and bosom. However, the young girl's thoughts returned to the objective, and her eyes glanced over to Gravely, who was groaning as his body was deep into stone. Arienne bent down for her Scarlet Rose and slowly approached Gravely. He was once a fox knight, once a traitor, now a helpless whelp in spiky, dark armor. As Arienne came closer, her eyes widened, and then a smile formed on her face.

"You remember me, fox?" Arienne started. "Where's those frog 'n dog friends of your's?"

Gravely's face was hidden in his helmet, but Arienne lifted up the grill to see his face. At first, Gravely's face was full of toughness and clenched teeth, but the fox's eyes opened wide in realization. To Gravely, this was the same blonde girl from the stables, whom he had beaten up with his friends, then had his face bruised by.

"You…" Gravely managed to growl out. "I always knew you were a demon."

"Demon?" Arienne repeated questioningly to herself. "I'm no demon, but I'm glad to see a face I can beat up again. And look at you, betraying the kingdom and joining these ugly Froudlings' side."

Gravely gritted his teeth and frowned with hatred.

Arienne went on, "What, did that Malory guy promise you with gold and high rank if you served him?"

"That, and to purge away peasants like you," Gravely spat out as he tried to struggle out of the stone.

"Me? A peasant?" Arienne snickered, then laughed manically for while, until she finally stopped and sighed. "Bitch, fuck off. I am a queen, and jerk faces like you will be thrown out of the kingdom and into the feeding troughs."

"Some queen you are, still dressed in rags," the fox growled.

Arienne smirked. "Sure, I'm in rags, but I know that my soul is in royal armor while yours' is just rags and scrap cloth."

With that, Arienne raised her sword, preparing to make the final strike. "You're no coward, I'll give you that."

"Just get it over with," Gravely said bitterly.

"Gladly, you riley cuck."

With that, Arienne thrusted her Scarlet Rose towards Gravely, feeling the sword dig into hard steel. The young girl suddenly realized that she had thrusted her greatsword into a shield; Bourke de la Janvier's shield.

"There's no need to execute Gravely," the old badger growled. "And wash your mouth."

"Right…" Arienne grumbled. "Just capture him…"

The young girl pulled her greatsword out of Bourke's steel shield and slung Scarlet Rose up and onto her shoulder.

"You didn't tell me Gravely was going to be the same fox that I beaten up from long ago," Arienne pointed out.

"That's because I didn't know, pisspot," Bourke replied as he sheathed his axe.

The old badger turned made a grumpy, unfriendly expression just for Gravely the Unloyal Fox Knight. His mustache furrowed and Bourke grabbed at Gravely's breastplate, ripping the dark armored knight away from the terrain he had been driven into, leaving a crackled stone imprint of the fox's body on the wall.

Gravely spat and burned holes in Bourke's head with his eyes. "You think you're fighting for the right side? You think keeping these peasants, these burdensome oafs, in the kingdom will make Avalon thrive? You think Artorius is has the right idea? I know who you are, Silver Knight."

Bourke raised an eyebrow then tossed Gravely onto the ground. "Son, I'm fighting so that my home won't get burnt down and so that I can just get back to retirement. Gods forbid this war getting any bigger."

Arienne watched the old, burly badger and the fox knight conversate, and then lets out a huff of air in boredom.

"Let's just be done. I already want to see him hung on a post to be tickle-tortured," the young girl whined.

"Tie him up then," Bourke says.

"Tie him up- We didn't bring rope!"

"Your fault. I'm going to get back to camp for coffee."

Arienne's expression was full of pure annoyance as she watched Bourke walk off, away and around the battlefield.

"Well…" Arienne glanced towards Gravely. "Heheh. You an' me, going to have a real good time."

Meanwhile, as Bourke was walking, his ear twitched to pick up faint sounds of yelping and yipping from Gravely amidst the clashes of swords and shields. The old badger sighed as the memories of the recent events coming back to view; Arienne's bloodthirsty rampage, the young girl being unharmed in raging fire. From the outside, Bourke appeared calm and grumpy as usual, but within, the old blacksmith's being was disturbed and worrisome, unable to comprehend what Arienne had done.

"Should I have really trained her with the sword?"

* * *

**It wasn't long until most of the war started to die down.** The traitorous knight; Sir Malory, who had led the Froudlings against Artorious and his kingdom, was slain by the king, Artorius himself. However King Artorius was also gravely wounded by Malory and had to be put in bed under critical conditions. As Artorius was preparing to pass on and going through the rites to pass to the Other Side, something had turned him into a horrible creature, the Pendragon.

However, Bourke couldn't give more or less of a care, as he and Arienne returned to their home. When Arienne was harmlessly engulfed in a pillar of fire as she fought during their mission to protect Toadstool Village, Bourke feared it was a newfound power that awakened within his adopted daughter, and that it would affect the rest of their lives. The old badger's predictions came true. After settling down back home after the war, Arienne had a difficult time trying to suppress her powers of fire. When news reached Bourke about the court wizard, Merle Ambrose, readying to depart Avalon to explore the Spiral, the badger immediately sought after his help. It was later that Merle concluded to Bourke that Arienne has had an element of fire magic forced upon her, and now magical potential started to grow within her. The badger realized that it was because of him that Arienne had wizardly potential, when he tried to save Arienne's life in the past by trying to sear her deep open wound shut with heated ironwood. Bourke de la Janvier saw this as an opportunity to hopefully direct Arienne off the course of becoming a bloodthirsty swordswoman and start her anew to learning to control her powers of fire by becoming a wizard. And so he sent Arienne off with Merle Ambrose to explore the Spiral and become his apprentice, but not before leaving Arienne with one last goodbye. Because Bourke wished for Arienne to forget the way of the greatsword and start a new life, the old badger also gave her new name. To remember the sword she once wielded and to remember why she had become a wizard…

_Her name is now Scarlet._

As soon the as the young, blonde-haired girl step foot into the portal after Merle Ambrose, the portal closed and Scarlet lost her footing of the magical path through the Spiral, falling into the cosmos and warped away through the rifts of time.

* * *

_**We now return to the near-present, years after the fall Artorius, the departure of Merle Ambrose, and the start of Ravenwood Academy.** _

All the girl could've remembered was stars and magical clouds that were scattered across the Spiral. The feeling of it was strange, like she was a piece of nothing, floating across the stars and worlds of the Spiral. She couldn't remember how long she was stuck there, or if time even mattered at all. Now, Scarlet was lying on the ground. No, it was something like green carpet. Scarlet struggled up. She was still dressed in her rags, the same clothing she was wearing ever since she was left to be an orphan on the streets of Caer Lyon. Scarlet brought up her head and glanced around for her surroundings. To her, it was like a finely carved wooden castle for a king, with trees around her and sunlight breaching through the leaves. Behind her, was a strange door. It was just a door, alone in the middle of this spacious room.

Scarlet struggled to croak out her words. "Where- am… Where am I?"

The sound of a door creaking upon reached Scarlet's ears and she looked behind her shoulder to the lone door.

_No, it's not from that door…_ Scarlet said to herself.

She turned back to gaze in front of her. There was another door, which seemed to be the entrance to this indoor place with trees. Two figures came into view. An old, white-bearded man with a monocle, dressed in starry, purple robes, and an owl with a mortarboard and scarf that matched the old man's colors of his clothing.

"Who, who?" the owl hooted.

"Oh my, we came back right on time," the old man said. "I predicted correctly."

Scarlet squinted her eyes to managed to have her eyes focus in properly on the owl and the old man.

"Who are you? Wait…" Scarlet's brows raised in realization. "You're the court wizard, that Merle guy!"

"Ahah, you are right, Scarlet," Merle Ambrose smiled through his white, fluffy beard.

"Scarlet… Who is Scarlet…" the young blonde girl racked around her mind. "Oh yeah, I'm not Arienne anymore…"

The owl fluttered around and showed expressions of surprise. "Hoot! Hoot! She hasn't aged at all!"

"Indeed," Merle Ambrose agreed.

"Hey." Scarlet struggled to get up on her feet. "You look older than I remembered."

"Well of course," Ambrose chuckled. "It has been many decades, Scarlet, since we have last seen you."

Scarlet's eyes widened. "Decades?"

Merle Ambrose smirked and laughs heartedly.

"Scarlet, welcome to Ravenwood; the School of Magical Arts."

 


	17. The Child of Kensington

A woman's voice shouted throughout the manor.

"Chin up! Knees bent! Blade up _et en garde_!"

The rapiers clashes once again and one of them were flipped away in the air, making its wielder fall back. The winner smirked and sheathed her sword. She was a horse woman with a curly mane and dressed in an olive green feathered sun hat. She wore a Victorian dress that matched her hat's color and was suspended under a vest, and its sleeves tucked into her leather, arm-bracing long gloves. Her dress' draped skirt was cut and folded short to show her left leg. She wore velvet red pants and leather boots as well.

"Zhat was poor, young Kensington. Do you expect to be the next earl when you can't even handle the sword right?" the horse woman said.

"I don't like fencing, Miss Vizzini!" Adrian whined as the young boy tried to get up again.

The arm that held Adrian's rapier was limp from weakness, and his other hand went to pat off the bow on his blue sailor outfit.

"Get your rapier and we will try it again. Get up! _Alzarsi!_ _Se lever!_ "

One of the dog maidservants who were overwatching the fencing lesson felt pity for the eight-year-old Adrian and beckoned for the horse woman to calm down.

"Please, Margherita! He is only a boy," the maidservant pleaded.

The horse woman's lips made a blubbering sound as she let out a huff of air. "Zis is the art of fencing! Do not expect me to step down."

A new voice sounded in the room, a voice of authority, "Margherita Vizzini. Please do lighten your force on the boy. Adrian, fencing is part of the Kensington etiquette."

The fencing instructor looked to her left side of the large room, following up a set of stairs and to an indoor balcony, to see a husky-border collie mix dog watching over from the upper levels, with a cane in paw, fine black suit, top hat, and dignity in his raised chin. It was Earl Ebenezer Kensington, the Queen's undertaker, and watcher of Marleybone's underground affairs.

"A human as my son, and I learn today that he is also left-handed. Funny," the earl said with narrowed eyes.

"Now Adrian, pick up your blade and start again," his father ordered.

"Y-… Yes, pa," the eight-year-old Adrian stammered and he finished rising up from the carpet and lifted his rapier from the ground.

Miss Vizzini the fencer instructor nickered as she smirked and unsheathed her sword.

"Chin up, knees bent, blade up," she recited.

Adrian nodded and did as Miss Vizzini said. They both held their rapiers up to their faces afterwards in a salute to each other.

" _En garde!"_ the mare spat sharply.

The teacher and her student both swiped their blades to their sides as they side-stepped in a circle. Margherita's eyes shot knives into Adrian. The young boy's eyes kept wide open, looking innocently towards his opponent, when he was really trying to analyze his instructor's every move.

"Strike me, if you dare," Vizzini challenged.

"A-Alright…" Adrian says quietly.

The rapier's edge faced the mare while his left foot was towards her, and his right foot was flat on the floor. After concentrating, Adrian makes his move. The young boy slides toward Margherita with the sword by his right side. When he came into range, Adrian swiped the rapier up from his waist in an arc above him and brought the blade down on the horse woman. Vizzini parried the blade away with ease and tries to thrust towards Adrian's open waist, but the young boy nimbly displaces himself away from the riposte.

"Good, good," Margherita Vizzini says.

Adrian paid no attention to her words. Unlike before, he now had the resolve to win. His father was watching, and Adrian wanted to win his favor. Adrenaline filled the boy's veins and he leapt forward.

The young boy lets out a squeaky battle cry. "Hrrragh!"

His attacks were wild, but his stance was kept steady. Adrian's arm kept swaying frantically, swinging at his instructor from all angles and letting in a few thrusts in between. He was on the offensive, catching Margherite in surprise as she was forced to continually fend away every rapid strike, not being able to counterattack. The mare kept parrying until she found vulnerability in Adrian's form. Quickly after guiding her student's last attack away with her blade, Vizzini takes the opportunity to cleverly strike at his chest, but Adrian saw his fault and bent back and away from Vizzini's riposte in a limbo. He immediately drops onto his back and kicks Margherite's sword hilt from her hand, making it flip away into the air. Adrian didn't know what he was doing but he used the momentum from his kick to roll back and up to his feet to finish the spar with his rapier's tip by Margherite's throat.

"O-Oh…" The mare gulped nervously. "I don't know what you did, and pitting yourself into the ground to disarm me wasn't part of fencing etiquette, but-"

"He did what was necessary to win the duel," Earl Kensington finished her words.

Adrian kept panting as the sword point remained raised up to his instructor's throat, but it was moved away as he fell onto his knee. The silver-haired boy heard footsteps and looked up to find his father.

"You did well for your second week," the earl said. "Miss Vizzini, was he always this good? I have never watched his lessons before."

"No. Not ever," Margherite answered. "Then again, I have always been putting force on the boy in the past. Even if I did let down my rapier a bit, the human forced me into defense."

Adrian's ear twitched in his hair, as he heard the word 'human.'

 _Am I really that different? Does me being a human make much of a difference?_ Adrian thought.

The young silver-haired boy grumbles and his hands tighten around his rapier's hilt as he got up and onto his feet, while everyone kept discussing about his sudden performance, except for the maidservant, who was down the other side of the room, occasionally glancing up at Adrian, then back, keeping silent.

"Well, I've an appointment to host," Earl Kensington said. "It is eleven-forty. I believe your time here is over, Miss Vizzini?"

The mare nodded. "Yes. I see my carriage waiting for me."

Margherite sheathed her rapier into its scabbard and saluted the others with nods and curtsies, then heads out of the room through a pair of large, wooden, polished wooden doors. After seeing the horse off, Earl Kensington turns to Adrian.

"Marie, take the boy back to his room," the earl ordered.

The maidservant's neck fur stood up on the sound of her name then bowed frantically towards the earl.

"Yes, my lord!"

Adrian turned from innocent to sad, as his eyes watched his father disappear from his view.

 _It's always "back to my room." It's not fair,_ Adrian complained in his mind.

His train of thought was cut off when the black and white dress of Marie the Maidservant approached from the corner of his eyes. Adrian glanced up to find Marie.

"Come on, then. Let us go, Adrian," Marie says gently with a paw forward.

Adrian looked away sentimentally then reluctantly took her paw as she escorted him throughout the maze-like Kensington Manor, until they reach his room. The young boy simply pushed away the doors to his bedroom and slips off his shoes, throwing himself on the bed afterwards to let out a sigh. Marie's paw-hands went after Adrian helplessly but she simply gazed at the red carpet with her paws together in front of her dress. She nodded and turned to leave until Adrian suddenly spoke up.

"Wait."

Marie glanced back to the child nervously. "Y-Yes?"

"Entertain me, Marie," Adrian said in his usual monotone voice.

"U-Uhm…" Marie twists clumsily and closes the doors behind her then turns back to Adrian. "How would you like me to do that?"

"Uuuh…" Adrian scratched his head then bounced off his queen-size bed.

The young child of nobility trotted over to his toy chest, digging around through dolls and trains to unveil a collection of books, which were an inch or two thick by average. He picked out a leather green book and held it up to Marie while standing up on his tip-toes. Marie read the cover.

" _The War of Worlds, Book One: The Coming of the Macartians_ , by H.G. Waggs?" Marie read with confusion. "This book is for adults, Adrian. You would find it boring!"

"Oh, I read the first nine chapters! It's intriguing!" Adrian said cheerfully, sounding like a girl with his other, high voice.

It was the first time Marie had ever seen Adrian open up to her. It was surprising to find out that he had an unusually high-pitched voice for a boy, but she was even more surprised that Adrian knew a word like "intrigue," or even read nine chapters far into this thick book.

"Well, I'll try my best~" Marie stammered. "What page did you last stop?"

"Page a hundred an' twenty four!" Adrian says, holding his hands with double fingers.

Marie also took surprise towards the fact that Adrian remembered where he left off the book, without a bookmark. Her mind was full of questions, but the dog maid quickly shook them off and returned to the task at hand: read the book.

And so Marie held the pages up to her eyes and read.

" _Saturday lives in my memory as a day of suspense. It was a day of lassitude..."_

Marie continued reading to Adrian, while he smiled and enjoyed her soft, delicate voice. A little while after an hour of her narrating, footsteps approached the door and it opened. Marie and Adrian turned to find a brown-furred Labrador in a jet-black twin-tailed suit and white gloves. It was Brownley, the butler of the Kensington household.

"Marie, that is enough time with the child," he ordered.

"I- … O-Okay…"

Marie gave Adrian a sorry look and closed the book, giving it to him afterwards.

"I, I'll see you later, Adrian," Marie stammered.

And so the maidservant went past the butler and out of the room. Brownley turned to Adrian and narrowed his eyes, and followed after Marie. Adrian was saddened and just threw his blanket over his head.

"My whole world is just this bedroom…"

* * *

 **Two years had passed** and Adrian wasn't home to celebrate his tenth birthday. Like his family had ever even celebrated his birthday in the past anyways. Adrian himself almost forgot his date of birth. Instead, Adrian was watching over his shoulders at the drapery that flapped around out of the window of his bedroom. He was dressed in thieves' garb, with leather armor, black clothing, and a cloak of matching color, with a hood and mask that hid his silver, snow white hair.

"Oi, Adrian. You's comin' or not?" a cockney accented voice sounded.

Adrian swung his head back to look in front of him, finding his partner in crime, Baxter, a young cat burglar who was younger than Adrian, but more experienced.

"The big boss ain't gon' wait forever for his cha-ching, you hear? An' this is the big boss of the O'Learys." Baxter hissed.

Adrian looked up to his cat partner innocently, nodded, then shrugged. He then swung his head forward in a gesture that said ' _Shall we go?'_

"Well… For ye second mission, at least you's knowin' how to keep quiet," Baxter muttered.

"I don't talk unless something needs saying," Adrian put down simply.

"Or you's just eager to hide yer high-pitched voice. Hey, I don't blame you if you sound like a girl."

"What's the problem with sounding like a girl?"

Baxter raised a brow. "What? What do you mean?"

Adrian shrugged and rolled his eyes. "I don't really get this whole boy and girl thing. Let's just go."

The rookie thief pulled his mask over his nose and gave one last look to the open windows of his bedroom, and leapt off the ledge of the building, crossing a large gap then landing with a roll.

"You's a strange guy, kid," Baxter says, then crossed the rooftop gap after Adrian.

The cat burglar and silver-haired thief sprinted across the rooftops, freerunning with ease. The scenery around them was all platforms and rooftops, all raised in different levels. The lights of the city was beautiful and plenty, but they didn't seem to drown out the starlight that glimmered from the dark blue midnight above. As the two kept parkouring, their breaths did not seem like they were ever going to waver into panting. The partners the approach the side of a tall building, but instead of slowing down, Adrian went into full speed. As he was about to make contact with the brick wall, the sole of his left foot met the wall first. The young boy then grits his boots into the wall and scaled up with his all of his limbs, scrambling like a squirrel. After reaching the top, Adrian leans over the ledge to extend his arm to Baxter. The young cat burglar also scaled up the wall, taking Adrian's hand at the last second and let himself get pulled up over the ledge and onto the rooftop grounds.

"This is the place, innit?" Baxter mumbled while he got up on his hands and knees, "The Dreadful Estate."

"Dreadful?" Adrian questioned. "That sounds familiar."

"Boy, you should go outdoors more often," Baxter scolded. "The Dreadful Estate, home of Viscount Charley Dreadful. But anyways, we oughta get tons of paper here in the Viscount's turf."

"But if it's a viscount, he should have guards around the area," Adrian pointed out.

Baxter nods along and scampers over to a glass dome on the rooftop. He looks through and finds the interior of the estate, made of lavished designs, marble, wood, velvet carpet, and other things that would make a fine, rich home.

"Now remember, this is your second swipe job, aye?" Baxter asked.

Adrian nodded.

"Did you's do good for your first time?"

Adrian nodded.

Baxter sighed. "Keep noddin' like that an' you'll bore me out. Whatever."

The cat burglar unsheathed a claw from his finger and traced the sharpened tip along the glass in a circle, while he took out a small plunger and pressed it onto the glass, to prevent the circle of glass from falling into the building. Adrian waited for Baxter to finish the hole in the glass, which was big enough for an oil drum to slip through.

"You've got the rope, squirt?" Baxter asked as he was about to step into his entrance.

"Yes," Adrian squeaked, revealing a roll of thick, strong rope from his black cloak.

"Aight, mate. Tie it to something and leave it through the hole so we can escape the same way," his partner instructed.

Adrian blinked and followed after his cat partner's orders. He finds a smoke vent that seemed pretty sturdy, and made a fine, tough knot around it, one that looks like a cute bow. He tossed the other end of the rope to Baxter, and he let all of the rope fall through the hole.

"Well," Baxter summed up. He gestured into the entrance in the glass. "Ladies first."

"I wonder if I look good in a dress," Adrian wondered out loud to himself as he grabbed hold of the rope and descended down into the estate.

"Guys aren't supposed to be in dresses…" Baxter made a weirded out expression.

"Well you will never know," Adrian shrugged as he descended into the darkness of the estate.

Hand by hand, Adrian climbed down the thick rope, and settled quietly on the ground, while Baxter only went half-the-way down the cord and fell, landing gracefully on all fours with a silent thud.

"So what's our mark?" Adrian asked.

"It's a cane of some sort," Baxter started to explain, "It's black with a white skull on top."

The words caught Adrian off guard.

"Is that really worth a bunch of pounds and coins?" Adrian asks.

"If that's what the big boss wants, that's what he gets, squirt. It's called the Scepter of Dreams. Rumors say that it shows ones' true ambitions or future." Baxter wiggled his paw fingers around while making an _ooohing_ sound.

"Where is it then?" Adrian questioned.

"That's why the boss ordered you to go. You've the knack to find strange things in yer wigglers. Remember that one job where ye had to find that golden spyglass?"

"There _was_ something strange about it. It felt like some energy pierced down to the bone when I held it," Adrian recalled.

"Well that's the same case here," Baxter said. "I've got this nose, and you's got your quirks of finding stuff. I think it's magic stuff."

"Magic, huh?"

In his room, Adrian had hidden tons of books, relating to math, science, and engineering. Out of all those, he had only one book on magic, which only fueled his curiosity to know more about the subject. The idea that the strange items he would occasionally find were actually magical, floated around in his mind.

"Well we don't have forever," Baxter settled. "We should split up. Meet back here when it's O' three. That's the deadline."

Adrian's sky blue eyes kept glancing around the manor. They were on an indoor balcony of a large, vast hall, with a glass dome above. This was a place in the mansion that could hold a fancy ball. Baxter decided to explore the first floor, while Adrian stayed in the second floor. His steps were silent, and only the moon could illuminate the way. In a matter of time, he found himself in a black corridor, and Adrian had his hands flat against a wall, navigating himself in the darkness. He searched every room connected to the corridor. None of them had anything of interest; bedrooms, study rooms, so and so. Adrian kept sneaking around until his hands came to twist at a knob of a locked door.

 _This could be it_ , Adrian thought.

The young thief felt around the door way, feeling for something that could make a sign that indicated what kind of room was behind this door. His fingers came around something smooth and rectangular, and so he ran his finger across the words that were engraved into the sign.

 _The Gallery_ , Adrian read with his fingers.

This was it. This could be the place. Adrian's fingers slid into his leather arm bracers, slipping out a pair of lockpicks. With a careful ear, and precise fingers, Adrian poked into the doorknob, and began raking.

_Click. Click. Clack._

"Set the tumblers…" Adrian whispered to himself.

Next, his hand went for his torsion pick that was held by his waist, but suddenly stopped as he heard footsteps. Down the corridor, Adrian took sight of multiple candles.

"Bullocks… There's no getting out…" Adrian whispered to himself.

The figure that was approaching him was petite and small, a child, like Adrian was. Perhaps he could act around this predicament, so Adrian took off his mask and hood, and acted natural. The child came closer, and the light of the candelabra revealed its wielder to be a girl in her night wear. She had black hair and caramel eyes. She and Adrian saw each other's faces, clear as day, and simply blinked at each other. The girl seemed like she was nine years of age, a year younger than Adrian.

"Oh… Um, hello," Adrian started.

"Hello!" the girl piped.

"Shh~ You don't want to wake the others, don't you?" Adrian stammered.

"But no one else is on this floor, silly."

The girl giggles.

"I'm sorry for being up, but I've got to use the restroom, and I'm scared," she said.

"Of the dark?" Adrian assumed.

The girl nodded.

"Can you escort me?" the girl asked.

Adrian was surprised he wasn't found out yet, with his thieves' garb and all.

"Uh, well… I'm a new, temporary servant here. I don't know my way around the manor yet," Adrian says softly with a nervous grin.

"I know the way!" the girl smiled. "Follow!"

She started to skip down the corridor, and Adrian hesitantly jogged after her. The two comes up to a door, and she slips into the restroom, while Adrian stood by, awkwardly waiting. After a toilet flush, and the sound of a sink running, the girl came out of the restroom with the candle holder in hand.

"Thank you, mister shorty," the girl grinned blatantly.

"Sh-Short?" Adrian repeated.

"What's your name, mister?"

"My name is…" He paused for a bit, unsure how to respond. "My name is Adrian."

"Oh? My name is Penny Dreadful," the girl says chipperly. "I'm gonna be the next cutest viscountess!"

Penny's words suddenly halt, and she make raises her brow towards Adrian, observing him closely, while Adrian's expression tightened up.

 _Did she find me out?_ he thought.

"Wait, your name is Adrian? Are you sure?" She raised her brow. "You look like a girl, and you have strange, white hair!"

Instead of sighing of relief, Adrian sighed in annoyance.

 _Uggghhh, again with this confusing boy and girl stuff_ , Adrian complained in his mind. _But anyways, if this keeps going on, somebody might find us and I'll be found out._

Adrian went into thought for a moment then made a friendly face.

"Well now, Miss Penny. It would be best if you head back to your bedroom. Um…"

He tried to think up of something to say.

"They say a lady must be well-rested so her skin is smooth and tender like a baby's."

Penny tilted her head, but nodded along cheerfully. "Alright then, Mister Shorty. And I'm not a little kid you know."

"Short…" Adrian repeated to himself.

He shook the thought off and gestured down the hall for Penny to go ahead. Adrian's other hand hovered towards her, beckoning to hold the candlestick holder for the young heir of the Dreadful family. With that, Penny was escorted back to her bedroom. After she settled back in her bed, the young Penny looked back to Adrian with a request.

"Mister Shorty, c-can you stay there until I sleep?" Penny wished.

Adrian blinked and shook his head. "I'm sorry, miss, truly. I've other matters to attend to."

Penny pouted. "Please?"

Adrian looks to the side as he sighed. "I suppose."

The young thief, now a young servant, took out a pocket watch from his leather armor corset and glanced at it.

 _It's one O' clock. I have two hours,_ Adrian discussed with himself.

Time passed. Adrian didn't know how much, and didn't care to check his watch. But it felt like five, long minutes. By then, Penny had fallen asleep, and Adrian carefully creaked open the door out of the room.

"Rest well, young lady," Adrian whispered with a finger up to his lips.

His breath blew out the flames of the candles in one huff, set the silver candelabra to the side on a drawer, and slipped out the door. Adrian took a moment to recall which room was the Gallery. He took off in a sneaky prowl down the hall but suddenly made a U-turn for the other direction.

"Nonono, it was that way," he told himself.

Once he reached the door, the torsion and rake picks slipped out of this arm bracers and waist belt and into his hands, to continue unlocking the stubborn, never-budging entrance of the Gallery. It took about ten minutes, but the door finally creaked open to reveal a room full of display cases and aisles of red carpet. Nothing was being displayed as a feature, so Adrian sighed and thoroughly browsed through every display case, glancing through the glass to find the skull-topped cane. His fingers traced along the smooth, mahogany wood of the boxy display cases, trying to feel for a tingly reaction or an ethereal grasp upon his fingers. Adrian asked himself if the strange items he kept find were really magic after all. The young thief's fingers itched to open the cases and slip in everything he could loot into his sack, but knowing that the daughter of the Dreadful family had already seen him, he dared not to gamble the risks, and focused on the main objective instead. After half an hour, for what seemed like a waste of time, Adrian sighed and stood up with disappointment. He hung his head back and looked to the ceiling, where there was a glass opening to let in a moonbeam. Adrian's ice blue eyes traced the moonbeam back down to the Gallery room. The moon was shining upon one single display case. Oddly enough, Adrian felt a strange aura emanate from it. His steps were of whispers, and each step took him closer to the case.

"Finally," Adrian breathed in with a twitch of a wicked smile. "This, 'Scepter of Dreams.'"

His white-gloved fingers slipped into the case, and nabbed at the skull-topped scepter. Right when the cloth of the linen glove touched the objective, magic surged from it, through the threads & fibers of the glove, and coursed into Adrian's mind. Instantaneously, the young boy was shown flashes of events. There he was, Adrian, as a grown man, in a tailed coat, top hat, ornate walking cane in hand, and a silver-gemmed ring around his finger. Another flash was of Marleybone's horizon, with the skies turned orange and crimson. There were no stars or night sky. Smoke billowed from the buildings and chaos was everywhere. Another flash showed an image of Adrian, sitting upon a throne with crossed legs, with an elegant cape, and crown. But under the throne, was a pile of dead bodies; dogs, cats, Margherita Vizzini, Brownley the butler, the servants of the Kensington mansion, his mother; a lioness, and even his father, Earl Kensington. Adrian's vision returned to the present, and he couldn't believe his visions.

"What? No… Why was everyone dead?"

His head twisted around frantically to take in his surroundings. Adrian was lying back up against a drawer, with the skull scepter in hand. His eyes showed confusion and a sense of being deeply disturbed.

"Tell me more."

The cane shook in his unstable hands, and his fingers grabbed tightly around it and his own palms.

"Tell me."

Yellow and blue magic flowed out from the cane like a fluid, and straightened out chaotically like electricity, and surged through his arms and tapped into his mind once again. This time, there were flashes of a giant tree, with face as well, surrounded by lots of other trees with faces, and buildings of different colors. Another flash showed four silhouettes, walking through a landscape of a desert, which then changed to the streets of Marleybone, then a village of bamboo, and then a torn empire of lava, purple clouds, and ruins. Immediately after, the visions vanished and Adrian found himself back in the dark room of the Gallery. He hadn't noticed, but Adrian's breath was heavy and in brief puffs. His hands were still around the skull-topped cane, but he couldn't move any other muscles.

"What did that mean…" he wondered.

Suddenly, the sound of a door creaking open reached Adrian's ears, and footsteps as well.

_Oh no... Am I going to be caught?"_

The person came closer, and Adrian was too weak to even stand. Closer. Closer. The footsteps stopped, but Adrian didn't even care to look up to the person by him. If he was caught, then he is caught. There's nothing to do about it. But suddenly a wave of relief passed over him as he heard a familiar voice.

"Oi, whaddayer doing here? It's half past three already," Baxter hissed.

"Oh… Baxter," Adrian sighed.

Baxter clicked his tongue. "It's three 'an fifteen, squirt. You're fifteen minutes late! What were you doing?"

"I… well… I found the thing." Adrian held the skull-topped cane to Baxter. "It gave me weird dreams."

"Really?" Baxter seemed really interested now. "It _is_ magical. What did you see?"

"I… I don't want say. I don't even want to remember it. I don't want to be the earl."

"Huh?" Baxter raised a brow. "What's that about being an earl?"

"O-Oh… Nothing."

Adrian stopped himself. Baxter and his fellow thieves didn't know who Adrian really was, and he didn't want to reveal his identity of nobility to Baxter. Also, he felt like he was deeply disturbed by his visions. Some visions he couldn't understand, but others he feared it's foretelling. His eyes couldn't keep normal, as they were wide as an owl's.

"Oi…" Baxter turned worried, not only from fear of guards around the manor, but also for Adrian. "C'mon, now. Let's just get outta here before people start wakin' up."

"Y-Yeah…" Adrian stammered.

* * *

 **The next day, in the late morning,** the young Adrian Kensington was still asleep, exhausted from last night's heist. The drapes of the windows were already separated to the sides to let in the light.

In Marleybone, the daytime could only get as light as late dawn. The sun was small as the moon in the sky, and the stars were still visible. Most of a Marleybonian day is shrouded in the dark of night and light of the stars. It was quite common for the sun to be out with the moon as well.

Adrian normally would wake himself buup; hence, none of the servants would come to wake him up at eight o' clock, which would explain this next scene, where a dog maidservant suddenly came into the room.

"Young lord!" the maidservant looked around, only to sigh at Adrian, who was still asleep. "I thought you'd be awake by now."

She came over and flipped his blankets away.

"Up now! Rise and shine! Dress up in your fanciest outfit. The master needs you in the Atrium! Quickly, quickly."

The Atrium is a part of the Kensington mansion where the main entrance is. It was mostly like a ballroom.

"Wh-What?" Adrian rubbed his eyes. "Is there a ball? I don't want to go to a ball."

"Just do so quickly," the maidservant snapped.

"Fine fine fine."

After rushing around his bedroom, Adrian came out with his clothes and made quickly for the Atrium. When he arrived, the young 10-year-old Adrian was dressed in a double-breasted three-piece suit with the tails out like a frilly dress. He had smart breeches and suspenders that strapped his socks up his legs, along with low-heeled boots, and a fancy, small top hat with a delicate bow and bouquet of flowers.

Out of breath as Adrian was from rushing to the Atrium, he kept a relaxed composure as the boy came from the upper balcony and down to the main floor, coming up next to his parents; Earl Kensington and his wife, Countess Heather Kensington. She was a lioness with fine, long, wavy hair and a dress that finely wove in Marleybonian and Zafarian features, while Earl Kensington wore his usual dapper coat and top hat, and his furry tail was perked up.

"Ah, Adrian. Here you are," the earl said. "You've slept a lot."

Adrian looked up to his father. Every time he saw his parents, Adrian wondered how he had turned out as a human, while his father was a husky and Border collie mix of a dog, and his mother was a lioness from Zafaria.

"Why did you call me here, father?" Adrian asked, trying to force an innocent face.

"You are here to meet a family of humans, friend to the Kensingtons, as well as a special person," his Earl Kensington answered.

"Special person?" Adrian questioned.

"Well as a matter of fact, there they are," his mother spoke up. "Adrian, look as elegant as ever."

"Y-Yes mother," he stammered.

Around the room, the servants and maidservants gathered by the walls, and Brownley, the labrador butler stood by the Kensingtons, along with Marie the maidservant and another male servant. They all looked forward to the entrance of the mansion, and the large doors creaked open. A group of five humans came in; one finely dressed man with a faded beard, his supposed wife, their butler, an adolescent boy, and a familiar young girl.

"Ah! Earl Kensington! It is good to see you!" the man says.

"As it is to see you, Viscount Dreadful," Ebenezer Kensington replies.

Adrian's eyes widened. "Dreadful?"

"Oh?" Adrian's mother, Heather Kensington, raised a brow. "Have you already met them?"

"N-No, I... I just heard about them," Adrian stammered.

"Oh, I see," his mother shrugged, and she went forward with her husband to greet the Dreadful family and household.

"Ah, Heather! It has been too long!" the Viscountess of Dreadful squealed and she hugged onto the Viscountess of Kensington.

"Oho! You're so rough, Elizabeth!" Heather giggled back.

Ebenezer Kensington approached Viscount Dreadful with slow but noble steps, as the Viscount smirked. They both bowed to each other in greeting.

"Oh come on, Ebenezer. You're too cold! You can't say a good hello to your friend, Charley?" Mister Dreadful smiled.

"You know that is not how I carry myself, Dreadful," Mister Kensington said plainly.

"Not to mention, how can I be so relaxed when you also hold another title; the _Warden of Souls_ ," Mister Kensington added coldly. His words were only audible between him and Mister Dreadful.

Mister Charley Dreadful simply turned his smile into a smirk.

"Well we Dreadfuls also have our line of work, as of you too, Kensington. Or should I say; the _Nobleman of the Underworld_ …"

Earl Kensington gripped onto his gem-topped walking stick, and Viscount Dreadful tipped down his top hat, rubbing the crown of his hat between his thumb and index finger.

Dreadful continued to speak; "My work may delve into another world, but I'm merely cleaning up after your dirty work."

The Viscount and Earl traded icy glares, but Viscount Dreadful decided to drop the matter, and then looked over Mister Kensington's shoulder.

"Is that your son, Ebenezer?" he asked.

Mister Kensington's eyes narrowed at the sound of his first name. "Yes, that is my son.

Adrian came forward in front of Mister Dreadful.

"Hello, viscount. My name is Adrian," he forced himself to say, though he was a bit shy.

"Well that is certainly a phenomenon. From the chemistry of a lioness and a dog, comes a human," Mister Dreadful comments.

"Indeed," Mister Kensington said sternly.

Adrian's eye twitched and he let out a silent growl at his father.

After sensing the tense aura, Earl Kensington simply sighed. "I think we should get to the main point of why we arranged this meeting?"

Viscount Dreadful's smile returned. "Of course. Daughter, dear, please come here."

The familiar girl from before came to her father side. Of course, it was none other than Penny Dreadful, with her black, loosely curly hair, and caramel brown eyes. Once she took sight of Adrian, she pointed towards him.

"It's the shorty!" Penny exclaimed.

Everyone in the room looked towards Penny.

"Daughter dear, you already have met Ebenezer's son?" Mister Dreadful asked, looking confused.

Adrian's eye widened and he let out a small hiss, making a face to tell Penny to be quiet, and she seemed to understand.

"A-Ah, no," Penny stammered. "I-I dreamed about someone once, with... with that white hair of his."

"Who is she, father?" Adrian asked innocently.

Mister Kensington and Dreadful glanced at each other, both confused, but Viscount Dreadful speaks up.

"This adorable, loving, cute, beautiful-"

"Dreadful…" Mister Kensington snapped.

"O-Oh, right," Mister Dreadful chuckled. "This is my daughter, Penny Amelia Dreadful."

Earl Kensington stepped up, beckoning to his son.

"And this is my son," the earl introduced to Penny. "Adrian Faulkner Kensington. From now on, he will be your fiancé."

Adrian and Penny then stared at each other for a few seconds.

"H-HE'S GOING TO BE MY FIANCE?" Penny exclaimed.

"What's a fiancé?" Adrian questioned naively.

"I'M GOING TO BE MARRIED TO THE SHORTY?"

"Marry? Oh is that what it means?"

Penny's face goes up in a blush. "I'm gonna marry him! Ooooh!"

Adrian simply blinked. "What does marry mean?"

"What? You don't know what marry means? What are you, dumb?" Penny scolded.

"Not as dumb as you~" Adrian said back with a smirk.

"Gosh, what a _smart_ man," Penny taunted. "At least you know how to dress well. That outfit is far too cute."

Earl Kensington's brow furrowed. "Adrian, that is no way to talk to a lady-"

"Ah, what are you talking on about, Ebenezer?" Mister Dreadful laughed. "Look at them; they're already the best of friends!"

Mister Kensington rolled his eyes. "I expected no less eccentricity from a wizard, especially one who is wedded to another wizard."

Adrian's eyes lit up. "Wizards?"

"Yeah!" Penny spoke up. "My papa and mom are wizards! Like from Wizard City!"

"Aha, yes! Ebenezer! You should enroll your son in Ravenwood Academy of Magical Arts!" Mister Dreadful suggested.

"Now, Dreadful. I don't think any of us Kensingtons have any magical abilities," Mister Kensington grumbled.

"Ah, I see," Mister Dreadful smirked.

Adrian wasn't sure about his father's statement. He had always felt weird stuff when holding one of the many books in his toychest. Almost all of those books are about science and engineering, but one particular book was about the study of magical arts, and how wizards summoned amazing creatures to their aid. Adrian was pretty sure the book had some magical quirk to it. Adrian shook off the thought and looked around the Atrium. Penny was up in smiles. Mister Dreadful was laughing by Mister Kensington, who kept to his stern nature. The wives of the viscount and earl continued to mingle and giggle amongst their selves, and Brownley the butler met up with the butler of the Dreadful household, who was dressed in black trousers, black waistcoat, and a white dress shirt underneath. They bowed to each other like fine gentlemen, then immediately went into friendly conversation like they were best friends.

"Say, say, Adrian!" Penny took his hand. "You wanna meet my brother?"

Adrian attempted to reply, but he was dragged along anyways. Penny led him up to a boy who looked twelve or thirteen years of age. He had blond hair, but had the same caramel brown eyes as Penny.

"So you're the bloke who's going to marry my younger sister?" he asked with cautious, inspectous eyes.

Penny blindly punched her brother up the chin, with an embarrassed blush. "Daniel! Don't be so rude!"

Adrian kind of jumped at Penny's unintentional show of strength, and watched Daniel hold his face in pain.

"Wait hold on. Nobody answered my question. What does marrying mean?" Adrian asked.

"Well, mate," Daniel Dreadful started to speak as he rubbed his slightly bruised face. "It's when a gentleman and a lady comes together in love, and be with each other in a relationship for the rest of their life."

"Love?" Adrian asked, not quite grasping the concept, while Penny kept fiddling around with the top hat on Adrian's head, making sure it was positioned nicely.

"You know," Daniel chuckled. "If I didn't know you two hadn't met before, I'd say you and Penny are best of friends."

"Well that's because I was excited to see who my future husband is," Penny said with her lips puckered out cutely.

"I've never had a friend before…" Adrian spoke up.

Penny made a surprised expression, but then smiled, grasping onto Adrian's shoulders a bit too hard.

"Don't worry! I'm gonna be your first friend! Oh, and Daniel as well!"

"O-Ow…" Adrian winced.

"Wh-What? I'm not going to be friends with him…" Daniel started to say.

He then spun around with his hands together, making a passionate scene dressed in cascading rose petals.

"I will not be friends with the person that'll steal my little sister's heart and take her away!" Daniel cried in a strong voice, holding the back of his hand to his forehead like this was an opera.

Once again, a fist flew up towards Daniel's chin and he soared away, crashing into a pillar.

"Aaaaiiieeee! Daniel, don't embarrass me in front of Adrian!" Penny whined, not exactly realizing that she launched his brother across the room with a single punch.

"Sc-Scary…" Adrian said under his breath, with a bead of sweat down his cheek.

The young, silver-haired noble then looked back to Earl Kensington and Viscount Dreadful.

"Your daughter is… She is quite… strong?" Mister Kensington stammered.

"Oho! That she is," Mister Dreadful chuckled.

The viscount then tries to whisper to her daughter, who was like fifteen feet away from him, making Mister Dreadful audible to everyone in the room.

"Penny! You have to be more lady-like!" Mister Dreadful hissed.

"Yes, daddy!" Penny chanted back to her father with a salute.

Though they both didn't like each other, Adrian and his father both shared the same expression, that made them want to inch away slowly from the Dreadfuls and their unusualness. After a while of conversations, the Dreadfuls and Kensingtons then moved on to have lunch together in the Garden Conservatory. Afterwards, all of them went their separate ways throughout the manor in their free time. The wives of the Kensington and Dreadful houses enjoyed tea. The Earl and Viscount settled down in the poolroom to discuss trading and finances. Adrian showed Penny and Daniel around the manor by Penny's request. Together, the three ventured through the gardens, kitchens, hallways, and other areas that were ornate and elegant. In the evening, a ball was then held in the Ballroom, where other nobles came to the Kensington Manor to attend. Of course, Adrian and Penny were dressed differently for the occasion. Penny wore an elegant corseted, shoulder-showing light caramel dress that matched her dark caramel eyes. Though he disliked dressing up, Adrian knew his fashion well. He chose a fancy, soldier's uniform. It was dressed in navy and light blue, with golden tassels, ropes, trimmings, and frills on the breast, in contrast to the regular wear of Marleybone's redcoats. Along with his formal uniform, an elegant saber was sheathed by his waist.

At the sight of Adrian, Penny Dreadful squealed and poked at her new fiancé.

"Adrian! You look so cute!"

The silver-haired boy blinked at the compliment, not knowing what she meant by "cute."

"L-Like squirrels?" Adrian stammered.

"Uh, well…" Penny dropped her bubbliness in went into thought.

From her experience, she knew Adrian wasn't exactly that knowledgeable socially, but Penny had already accepted his flaws-for he was her fiancé-and worked around it.

"Let's just say you look really good!" Penny explained. "And I want to hug you for it!"

"Hug?" Adrian glanced down at his hands, then back to Penny, in her beautiful dress. "I've never been hugged before."

A familiar voice sounded. "Not even from your ma?"

Daniel Dreadful came into the scene, clothed in a sharp double breasted suit, with his blonde hair swept back into his top hat and caramel eyes sharpened to the finest shine.

"My mother?" Adrian repeated. "She…"

Adrian stopped himself from ruining the happy environment.

"Perhaps when I was a baby. Since then, no," he says.

"I see," Daniel settled.

Daniel then turned his eyes to his younger sister.

"And what was that about hugging Adrian?" he asked.

Penny pouted and put her hands on her hips, budging in front of Adrian to get in Daniel's face.

"What? I can't hug the person I've waited months and months to meet?" she asked accusingly.

"Not on my watch," Daniel snapped. Then he went into his passionate, rosen voice. "My dear little sister's heart is as pure as a Yuletide rose!"

Penny frowned even more and grabbed Adrian by the frills on his chest and gave him a full-on glomp. Daniel gasped in horror. It was so thematically done that Adrian question whether if the gasp was real or not. Satisfied with her brother's reaction, Penny grinned and went further, diving in to lock lips with Adrian. Daniel's eyes widened and he fainted. Adrian was also surprised by the kiss, caught off guard by not really knowing what to do. Penny's arms tightened around Adrian's neck as her eyelids softly closed into the kiss. After a while, she finally let go and shot a smug smirk at her brother, Daniel.

"See? I've even gotten my first kiss! Before you!"

Adrian looked around awkwardly, and just smiled. Daniel shot daggers at Adrian, but he just threw himself on the floor.

"My little Yuletide rose is stained!" Daniel cried.

"Is he going to be okay?" Adrian asked.

"Oh he's just overprotective," Penny reassured him.

The misses; Heather Kensington and Elizabeth Dreadful, approached the scene with glasses of wine in their hands. As soon as Misses Dreadful took sight of her son, Daniel, pounding his fist on the ground in mourning, Misses Dreadful simply scolded him.

"Son, do not dirty your clothes! Oh and daughter, the ballroom is not a place to display love."

With that, she continued to walk alongside Misses Kensington and stepped over Daniel's back like he was a stray rock.

"Ack!" Daniel wheezed.

Penny giggled and laid the side of her head on Adrian's chest, but since she was barely taller than Adrian, her head ended up on his chin.

"Hey Adrian, aren't we going to dance?" Penny asked.

"O-Oh, of course," Adrian stammered.

The young child of Kensington has had dancing lessons before. Adrian had always practiced dancing with his tutor, and now he was put to the test. With that, Adrian tried to recall the etiquettes of a ballroom dance. He stepped back. With his right hand on his sword sheathe, and the left hand forward across his chest, Adrian bowed politely, as Penny lifted her dress and curtsied back.

"I thought you were supposed to bow with your right hand forward, _dear_ ," Penny commented.

"I say to bow with the most used hand is more respectful," Adrian smiled back.

The two met hands and cascaded to the dance floor.

"You're left handed?" Penny asked. "No wonder why you're dumb."

"Yes, I'm left handed. No, I am not dumb. I'm just not let out of my room very often," Adrian said back softly.

"Why not?" Penny asked.

Adrian's eyes slowly drifted down. "My father isn't exactly proud of who I am."

"That you're not a dog like him?"

Adrian nodded.

"What about your mother?"

"She couldn't care any less about me…"

Adrian looked up and forced himself to not get sentimental.

"Let's just dance, alright?"

Penny looked glad to do so, but then spoke up, "You do know how to dance right?"

Adrian raised a brow. "Do you?"

"A cute, young lady naturally should know how to do such things," Penny smirked.

Having not noticed before, the two pick up the fine melody of violins, violas, double basses, and even tympanis, all belonging to a band of finely dressed dog gentlemen and ladies.

"You know, to be honest, I don't really like ballroom dancing," Penny admitted.

Her white, pearled high heels follow the lead of Adrian's shined oxford boots in a simple, slow, yet graceful waltz. One set of their hands were lifted. Adrian's hand slid along her back, while Penny let hers wrap behind his neck.

"I'm not the type to do this either, but you know; whatever the lady wishes," Adrian whispered back.

"It's strange dancing with you," Penny giggled. "I'm barely taller than you."

"Yeah. You might want to reconsider of how you keep calling me 'Shorty', dear."

"Well you also have that unusually high voice," Penny brought up.

Adrian made his voice dull and monotone, but lower, into an average boy's pitch range.

"You mean like this?" Adrian questioned boringly.

"You are an idiot," Penny smiled.

As the music grew into a tense bridge of notes, Adrian led his partner in a series of sharp slides and glides, and then they return to their original positions on the dance floor in a slow spin.

"So back then," Penny started. "What were you doing in my house? I know now you aren't a servant."

The question threw Adrian off, but he was careful to not misstep on Penny's foot, or vice-versa. He racked to think up of an excuse, not wanting to reveal his nighttime hobby as a thief.

"I… You remember when I told you that I'm not let out of my room often?" Adrian asked.

Penny nodded, intent on hearing his story.

"That is because my father isn't exactly fond of letting my existence be known to society, and so I am locked up in my bedroom every day, only to come out for my private tutors or meals."

Penny's eyes widened at his words, but she didn't let that from stopping the waltz.

Adrian continued to explain, "So at night, don't you dare tell anyone, I decided to sneak outside and out to the rooftops of Marleybone."

"But that's dangerous," Penny gasped quietly. "Bandits and thieves might catch you! You might've fallen from the rooftops and end up like a pancake on the streets of Regent Square!"

Adrian lets a small chuckle escape from his lips. "Perhaps. And so I always leapt from rooftop to rooftop, taking sight of the stars and moon above. It t'was always beautiful."

"You're starting to sound like my father," Penny comments. "He always read bedtime stories in that way.

"Heheh, am I? Anyways, I accidently came to your mansion, mistaking yours for my estate."

"How did you manage to make that mistake?" Penny asked. "Kensington Park and Chelsea Court are far away."

"Well I don't know the full lengths of Marleybone yet, Penny," Adrian grinned.

"And you weren't afraid to fall?"

"Well most gaps between buildings are small enough to jump across."

Penny makes a disgusted sound. "Seems scary to me."

"Perhaps I could take you on a midnight run," Adrian suggested.

"Hehe, no thanks," Penny smirked.

* * *

 **Three years had passed after those events.** Adrian was now thirteen years of age. He only able to meet Penny every few months. Every other day, it was him locked in his bedroom as usual. Almost every night, Adrian slipped out of his mansion and into the darkness, meeting up with his partner; Baxter, and going on thieving runs and heists for the fun of it. It was all great for Adrian, but as time passed, his dislike for his father and mother grew stronger. He only existed to exist within the Kensington mansion, locked within his room. Every day, during those three years, Adrian planned of how he was going to go out to the outside world, where everyone was awake, and not sleeping. However, one night; Adrian decided to drop down to the streets of Marleybone. In the time where everyone slept, the streets were empty and the stores were closed. His oxford boots grinded quietly on the cobblestone streets of Hyde Park. The wind blew, uncovering Adrian of his black hood, revealing his snow white hair. It would've been a cold night, but Adrian wore his thief garments; leather armor and a black cloak. Adrian put his hood back on and continued on. The food stalls were empty and the street lamps shined, but not enough to light the whole lengths of the streets. Around him were brick buildings and alleys. The sound of the flying balloon cars rung from above, and echoed beeps came from the MB Model cars on the big streets. It was all ambiences on this empty street. Adrian kept walking aimlessly, and then went around a corner; into an alley. His steps took him by a fire in a barrel. Around the barrel, was a group of cats, perhaps a family? Their paws were raised around the fire, and the only things covering them in this cold night were rags and tattered clothing. They were all homeless so it seemed to Adrian, and stuck in poverty. Three cats were men, around the age of thirty. One was a she-cat, and two were tom kits, at the age of six or seven. Adrian slowly approached them and the cats looked cautiously up to him.

"What're you doin' here, thief?" one of the three male cats grumbled.

"I don't suppose you're one of those O'Learys," another one grunted.

Adrian stayed quiet, and then shook his head. "Have you folks any food?"

"The thief is a she-cat!" one of the kits said.

"No, I am still a male," Adrian chuckled.

"Billy, you silly mousebrain. He's too tall for she-cat," the other kit snarked.

"But he sounds like a girl!" the kit spat back.

"What're you doing here, thief? Planning to steal our food?" One of the three tomcats grumbled.

"In case you're wondering, no. We don't have any food," another tom growled.

With his question answered, Adrian mused, then walked away, and jumped up the walls of the buildings. A few minutes later, Adrian came back, with a green apple in hand. Every cat around the fire in the barrel gazed at the apple. Adrian smirked under his mask and tossed the apple into one of the tomcat's paws. The apple bounced around in the cat's paws until he finally managed to catch it.

"Th-Thank you, thief…" he stammered.

Without hesitation, the cat handed the apple to the she-cat, but the lady shook her head, and so the tom-cat handed the apple to the kits, but not before bringing up a claw from his finger to split the apple in half.

"That won't be necessary," Adrian spoke up. "You were willing to give up the apple for the lady and children, like a chivalrous gentleman."

Adrian took out a sack from under his cloak and gave green and red apples to everyone.

"H-Hey! Look at this! There's two apples for everyone!" one of the three adult tomcats rasped.

Another one of them spoke up, "Thank you, sir!"

"Don't be hasty to gobble them up, now," Adrian smirked, and he sat down on the cardboard, next to the two cat children.

"O-Of course," the tomcat said.

Everyone started to eat one of their apples, making sounds like they were enjoying a big feast. Adrian smiled at them, but his mask hid his grin.

"Wh-Who are you?" the adult she-cat asked.

Adrian glanced at her, and then returned to warming his hands at the barrel fire. He then took off his mask, then his hood, revealing his face and flowing, white hair.

"It's a human!" one of the kits pointed out.

"It _is_ a guy, Billy!" the other kit exclaimed.

"What's a human like you doing here? I thought all of them had nice homes here on Marleybone," the she-cat wondered.

His eyes blinked at her question, and Adrian decided to ignore it, resting his back on the brick walls of the alley.

"Why's a human like you goin' around stealing?" one of the three grown tomcats asked.

The young thief's ice blue eyes turned to the tom.

"I like to have fun. I get bored easily," Adrian replied.

"That's the same cloak as those O'Learys," the tom pointed out. "You workin' with those hooligans?"

"Well not all of them are bad people," Adrian admitted. "Some of those cats were homeless to begin with, and had to steal their way through life. Not all are swindling backstabbers."

"Yet most of them are. Why would you even teem with them?"

"I don't associate with the upper hierarchies of the O'Learys."

The grown tom looked around, confused. "Associate? Hierarchies? "

One of the other toms spoke up. "Associate means ta… to…"

"To join or connect with another individual or group in a way?" Adrian finished.

"Y-Yeah! What he said! I didn't know how to put it into words," the tom said.

"Tell me, did you guys have any form of education?" Adrian asked.

The cats exchanged looks, and then shook their heads miserably.

"I see this is one part of the real world," Adrian mused.

Soon, the sound of hurrying footsteps echoed throughout the alley. Adrian gets up on his feet and looks farther into the alley. His fingers pulled his mask up above his nose and his hood over his head.

"Where you goin'?" one of the kits asked, the one named Billy.

"Ah, well…" Adrian gave everybody an innocent smile. "It seems the police managed to find traces of me."

"Oi kid, that's some dangerous work there," one of the tomcats said, while munching an apple.

"Well in this world, either you take, or be taken from," Adrian said.

The young thief started to take a few steps away.

"I've already had most of my life taken away from me," he muttered to himself. "I suppose I'll be taking those years back."

Adrian then jogged out onto the street. The sound of whistles and barking of the constables echoed throughout the alley. Adrian let out a mocking laugh and danced around like a fool in the middle of the road. As soon as the constables almost had the thief in their reach, Adrian leapt up and stepped lightly through the group of police, making each of his steps on their shoulders, and finally ran off, laughing.

Having learned about the homeless cats around Marleybone, Adrian made it his duty to provide them with food. He would even slip in some time to teach makeshift literacy classes and give toys to the children. Where did he find all this food and other things? Why, as a thief, he stole them of course, from the nobles and rich dogs of Marleybone. He kept doing this about every night, stealing food and handing them out to the poor, mostly around Kensington Park and Chelsea Court. Adrian was extra careful not to get caught, but soon, rumors spread around Marleybone about the stealer who stole for the poor. For that, Adrian earned his alternate identity as the Silver Thief, the good thief that stood from the O'Learys. However, Adrian would still do jobs for the O'Learys, but that was beside the point.

Though he enjoyed this line of work, Adrian's life as a nobleman still held on in the daytime hours. Every day, it would be the boy locked up in his bedroom, left to walk around, read, study, or play with the toys he had already grown out of. Next, it would be his lessons, be it fencing, or dancing, violin, or horseriding, his meals in between. Adrian continued this way of life, constantly switching between his two lives until he grown tired of it all.

Every night, he would also see through the windows of buildings. Adrian thought he had it bad, but the women and girls had it worse. Through his eyes, he witnessed women and girls who were treated like furniture. Their destinies were to bear children, keep the house, and get married. Through the jobs given to Adrian by the O'Learys, he witnessed auctions that sold people, which really astounded him. Young children, whether it'd be cats, humans, dogs, or even races from other worlds, like elephants or lions. All of it disgusted Adrian. He later learned the true purpose of being the Earl of Kensington, who Adrian's father was, and who his predecessors were. This line of earls all had duties to hunt down and regulate things in Marleybone's impure underground; things that displeased the Queen. Adrian's father has done this in ways that were despicable and unspeakable to the public, just like all the other past earls. This was when Adrian decided he would be different. He wanted to change Marleybone and rid it of the underground, and to do it, he needed power; power that would give Adrian the ability to crush any horrid person who dared oppose him. This power; that would rid the world of any scum that Adrian deemed despicable and sickly to look upon. However, Adrian was limited by his father. And so the child took the money he needed, and ran away to a new place where he could attain this power.

Adrian stepped out of the Spiral Door, covered in magical dust with his fingers wrapped around a ring of keys. He coughed and shook the magical dust off his clothes. The silver-haired boy looked up, only to be blinded by something bright.

"Oh right…" he mumbled. "The sun. There's not much sun in Marleybone."

When the brightness dimmed down, Adrian's eyelids separated little by little, revealing the world around him inch by inch. The sky was a rich hue of blue, something Adrian never seen before. He was in an opening surrounded by walls of buildings, painted light colors, like tan or pink. In front of him, was a drawbridge. Above, streams of water arced above the drawbridge, clothed behind a rainbow.

"Hey, are you lost kid?" a new voice sounded.

Adrian jumped and twisted to spot a pink creature, dressed in robes. He had a snout and a wand in hoof. It was a pig, wizard pig to be exact.

"Is… This is Wysteria, am I correct?" Adrian questioned.

"Yeah, mate. I suppose you _are_ new here," the pig snorted.

The pig walked in front of Adrian, towards the drawbridge.

"Welcome to Pigswick Academy, mate."


	18. My Chef is a Freaking Demon

**Mudge was outside Eudora Tangletree's Crafting Shop** , leaning his back against the wall next to the entrance. The autumn air was cool, rustling against Mudge's worn-out hood. His eyelids started to grow heavy, starting to close on his yellow irises. It's been perhaps more than fifteen minutes of waiting, and Mudge grumbled to himself to keep himself awake. Mudge's pale, dark green skin was more used to intense heat, making the breezes of Olde Town in the fall time was a bit chilly for him. He wished he had a coat or something, instead of his worn-out t-shirt. At least it had a hood.

"Mudge-dear, could you carry these bags of crafting stuff for me?"

The hunchbacked demon's pointy ears perked up at the sound of his master; Morgan, who stepped out of the crafting shop entrance with her friend, Nicole.

"Sorry we took so long," Morgan grinned pleasantly, like a ray of sunshine.

She held paper bags of tape, nails, and other things that could hang banners to a wall, or chisel out a jack o' lantern. The conjurer held the bags up to Mudge, and he took them from Morgan with a finger.

"What is this Hallowe'en?" Mudge asked.

Nicole bounced up next to Morgan. "It's a holiday, where we dress up and decorate stuff with spooky things! There's people handing out candy, and we walk house to house to get 'em!"

"That seems like a silly event," the behemoth demon gruffed.

"Oh yeah! That's right!" Morgan remembered. "We should get you a costume too, Mudge!"

"Wh-What?" Mudge stammered.

His eyes showed a glint of surprise and the hunchback stepped back.

"What should he dress up as?" Nicole wondered.

"Well he's big…" Morgan thought aloud.

Mudge blinked at the two girls with disbelief. He never thought he would dress up in a costume, much less celebrate in a mortal holiday made for silly children. On his way to the crafting shop, the hunchbacked demon received cautious looks from citizens and students of Ravenwood. Even the summoned familiars of other myth wizards; like cyclopes and trolls, backed away from Mudge. This didn't exactly encourage the idea of going house to house for candy.

"Ooh I know!" Nicole chirped up. "Mudge should dress up as chocolate fudge!"

Mudge stared in disbelief at Morgan and Nicole at a loss for words.

 _Chocolate… fudge,_ he said in his mind.

"I don't think that'll work," Morgan giggled. "How about… a stormzilla?"

 _A stormzilla,_ Mudge repeated.

While he didn't exactly want to dress up as anything, it was the best the hunchback could imagine himself in.

 _I've seen a stormzilla before,_ Mudge thought. _It's bigger than a building._

The hunchback started to recall one of his memories, where he was ordered to take down a mighty stormzilla. Its jaws billowed of electric spray and its cries thundered like a lightning bolt. However, Mudge was able to effortlessly tear off its head, despite Mudge much smaller than the stormzilla, having to stand on the back of its neck to do so. He smirked to himself about that fight.

"So what do you think, Mudge?" Morgan asked, looking up to him with her blue, crystalline eyes. "You want to dress up as a stormzilla?"

The demon stared at her eyes awkwardly, and then looked to the side.

"I suppose," he mumbled with his rough, yet ethereal voice.

* * *

 **Half an hour later,** Mudge found his head within the maw of a large, purple stormzilla head, while in the middle of the streets of the Shopping District near the Dye Shop.

"This costume is humiliating," the demon rasped under his breath.

"You look cute!" Morgan said cheerfully.

"It looks awesome!" Nicole complimented.

Mudge just coughed in discomfort and switched his attention to the side, towards a skeleton dressed in a black suit and top hat.

"May I take this off now?" the hunchback asked.

The skeleton: Spooky Bob, owner of the wagon of Hallowe'en stuff that comes to Wizard City every year, chuckled and spun his cane around his bony wrist.

"You look mighty fine there, sir!" Spooky Bob chuckled.

With a soundless snap of his bony fingers, Spooky Bob makes the stormzilla costume on Mudge, disintegrate into magic dust, and it flows away with the autumn breeze.

Spooky Bob looks towards Nicole and Morgan. "Though I do not have a stormzilla costume for your demon friend here, I can make sure my friend-a fabulous tailor-can take some of her time off to come and design a first-rate costume for the demon!"

"When will it be?" Morgan questioned.

"Maybe a day or two," Spooky Bob answered. "She travels the Spiral y'see. But anyways, I just need to know where I can find you guys the day my friend arrives."

"The Violet Nightingales' section of the Girls' Dormitory," Morgan answered. "Dorm Six."

Meanwhile, Nicole was pacing in a circle around Mudge, while the hunchback tried to follow the blonde death wizard with his eyes everytime she passed in front of him.

"What was that costume just then on Mudge?" the necromancer asked.

"An outfit designing spell," Spooky Bob smiled, or tried to, if he had lips. "But now, about the price…"

The skeleton sauntered in an unbalanced manner over to his gypsy's wagon in front of the Wizard City Pet Shop. The wagon held all of his Hallowe'en merchandise. He opened the jockey box of the wagon and pulled out a little notepad and pen, then returned to behind a table with a cash register. He mumbled words to himself like "spiral," "scales," "darkwood," "Alexis," and "designing."

Spooky Bob then twisted around on his heel to turn to Morgan, Nicole, and Mudge.

"The price is four hundred crowns!"

Morgan and Nicole stood there in silence, and then turned each other to whisper.

"You think he has enough crowns?" Morgan hisses.

"He should," Nicole smiled.

The both of them turned to Spooky Bob.

"Put it on Adrian's tab," the two chanted in unison.

The cane in Spooky Bob's hand rose up to scratch under his top hat.

"Are you sure?" he asked. "There are a lot of crowns already on tab. I expect some pay soon."

"Oh we'll pay up soon," Morgan giggled.

The conjurer then twisted around to hide a twisted smile, filled with mixed emotions of excited mischievousness and guilt.

"Oooh, what have I've done?" she hissed to herself.

Mudge raised a brow at his master. He wondered if Morgan was always like this, but then went back to sit by the fountain and watched Spooky Bob and the two girls discuss about when the tailor will visit them. Mudge kept waiting, twiddling his thumbs and letting birds rest on his hunched back. He was urged to fall asleep, but the autumn winds kept him from doing so. It all kept going on until Morgan called Mudge over to return back to the dorms. And so he picked up the bags of crafting supplies and followed Morgan and Nicole out of the Shopping District, through the tunnel, and out into the Commons. The skies above still held the sun. It was early afternoon. Students passed by Morg, Nic, and Mudge. They seemed to back away, and/or looked at Mudge, while the sloth-type demon held back his snarls. Again, they entered a tunnel. This time: to Ravenwood. The three emerged from the tunnel to start walking under the leaves of Bartleby. The sunlight passing through his branches seemed like Ravenwood was made in a temperate rainforest. Their steps didn't take too long to get to the Girls' Dormitory after coming out of the tunnel from the Commons, hence the Girls' dorms' entrance was just to their left, next to the Life School and Blossom the Life Tree. However, Mudge stopped when they reached the entrance.

"Is it okay for me to go in?" he asked. "I am a summoned familiar."

"Of course it's okay!" Nicole chirped, and then she watched Morgan open the double doors to the dorms.

The necromancer and demon followed and stepped inside to the Girls' Dormitory's main hall. It was practically an indoor court, combined with a library with a bunch of display cases. The room was two stories in height. Mudge wondered how this main hall could've fit within Ravenwood's walls. Perhaps the door was magical, connecting multiple dimensions. After all, the large walls surrounding the area of Ravenwood Academy was only thick as a city's walls, but it somehow held a large hall, as if everything was bigger on the inside. The Girls' Dormitory's main hall had all the achievements of the girls that attended Ravenwood; awards, certificates, the days when students learned milestone spells. The indoor court was also divided into four sections, colored differently to match the houses of Ravenwood. The main level the held entrances to the Blue Pegasi and the Violet Nightingales' sections of the dormitory; Pegasi on the west side, Nightingales to the east. On the second level, where indoor balconies were built above, held the entrances to the Golden Perytons and the Green Peregrines' section of the dormitory; Perytons to the east, and Peregrines to the west. The two wizard girls and hunchback continued on to their dorms, heading into a hallway. As the deeper they went into the home territory of the Violet Nightingales, the more the shades of purple became deeper and richer, patterned ornately with images of diamonds, squares, and feathers.

"My lady," Mudge grumbled.

"Yes?" Morgan peeked behind her shoulder to her familiar. "And please, just call me Morgan, dear."

"Y-Yes…" Mudge stammered, glancing to the side. "Anyways, I noticed that the dormitories were separated into four colors; blue, purple, green, and yellow. I have never been to this Ravenwood before, much less Wizard City. Why is it so that the dormitory is… colorful?"

"Ah well…" Morgan thought. "Here in Ravenwood, students are separated by boys and girls. Each dormitory is split into four houses, to best suit each students' learning styles and strengths. Each house has its own housemaster, as well as two student prefects; one from the girls' dorms, one from the boys' dorms."

The three passed by the doors of Dorm Eight, then Seven, then finally; Six. They settled down their bags of crafting supplies next to the door and Nicole fiddled around her pockets to find the keys. Morgan watched Nicole in doubt, but then turned to Mudge.

"Anyways," the conjurer started. "We are part of the Violet Nightingale house. Even though it's been a quarter into the school year…"

Morgan chuckled with embarrassment.

"I don't think I've ever met the housemaster, nor our two prefects," she admits.

Morgan shook her head a bit at herself but then returned her eyes to Mudge.

"We Nightingales are creative and excel in the arts. We tend to be solitary, but we express ourselves with our creations instead of words. You know, I think the other houses also described us as… eccentric."

"Eccentric?" Nicole added. "I don't blame them. Weird is fun."

"Well I don't feel weird at all," Morgan smirked.

"You said you are of the Violet Nightingales," Mudge started. "And they excel in the arts. So you have strengths in that area?"

Morgan nodded. "Back home in Marleybone, there wasn't much to do. I like to knit, and sew, and do embroidery in my spare time."

"I thought I heard you sing once," Nicole meeped out, as she managed to fish a ring of keys out from under her robes. "I heard you in the showers. You're good!"

Morgan blushed and hid her face by looking away. "Th-Thanks. But anyways, yes, I like to tailor around, and sing sometimes… Nicole likes to draw, I think."

Mudge glanced to Nicole as the necromancer nodded.

"Yeah I like to draw, but it's not that good. It's cute though," Nicole giggled. "I can also play the harmonica!"

"Harmonica," Mudge repeated.

Morgan looked at Nicole in wonder, but then continued to speak. "You remember Adrian, right Mudge?"

The demon blinked at the sound of his name, then nodded.

"Well Adrian is a really good cook," Morgan said. "And with Scarlet… I don't know about Scarlet. If I didn't know any better, I'd say she would be in the house of the Green Peregrines."

"Green Peregrines?" Mudge asked.

"Yep. That house is full of people who are competitive," the conjurer explained. "Peregrine falcons are known for their athleticism and their eagerness to hunt. If there's any contest, game, or even sport, the Green Peregrines are the ones who'll instantly sign up. I don't know why there would be a house like that. I've never seen any wizard engage in sports, except for cricket or something."

"How do you know so much about birds?" Nicole questioned.

Morgan giggled and shrugged. "Well you can never read too much books in your free time."

"What are the houses that are blue and yellow?" Mudge questioned.

"The blue house is the Blue Pegasi," Nicole spoke up. "They're the eggheads who got all the high marks in academics; real smart people."

Morgan nodded along with Nicole's words. "Yep! Pegasi are symbols of wisdom. And then there is the yellow house, I mean the Gold House to be exact. They are the Golden Perytons."

"What's a peryton?" Nicole asked, while poking a finger at her lips.

"Perytons…" Mudge started. "They are large horned stags with large wings. I've seen them once. The creatures are… majestic to say at the least."

 _I actually had fun beating that creature's pride and body down into a pulp,_ Mudge smirked to himself.

"Really?" Morgan marveled. "I thought perytons were a myth. You know, stories said that Perytons start off with a human's shadow. They'll kill a person once in their lifetime to gain their own shadow, but they must do so in secrecy because they are proud of their elegance, too proud to have blood on their hooves. It's much like the Golden Perytons. They are strong-willed people with ambitions. Once an objective is set, they are determined to achieve it. But the Golden Perytons are most recognized for their leadership, organization, and independence. But long story short; there are the Violet, Blue, Green, and Golden Houses, and each and every student is separated into those houses."

"I see then," Mudge mused.

Nicole blinked around, and suddenly recalled that she had the keys.

"Oops. Hehe!"

The young necromancer poked one of the keys into the knob. A ring of magic dust kind of poofed out from around the knob, and she twisted the handle, opening the door to step into the living room of Dorm Six, with the kitchen just to her right. Again, to Mudge, it was like everything on the inside was bigger than the outside of the door. From the hallways of the dormitory, the doors were only a few feet away from each other, but from the inside, you could mistake the dorm for a small house. The place had its own living room with red couches, a flatscreen crystal-vision, and a window that displayed Ravenwood from the upper levels, fairly higher than the roofs of the Life School and the Myth School, and just below the canopy of Bartleby's leaves.

"You can set the bags over on the counter in the kitchen," Morgan directed to Mudge, pointing into the kitchen nearby the entrance into the dorm.

Mudge obeyed and went along with her suggestion, came back out, and stood around awkwardly, while Morgan and Nicole went to put up their coats and jackets up in a closet near the door out of the dorm.

"Hmm… I wonder how Scarly and Adrian are doing," Nicole mused. "I'm gonna find out!"

With that, the girl necromancer jolted straight up off the ground and sped away to the bedroom in an instant. Morgan's hand made an attempt to go after her but the conjurer shook her head. She slipped out of her boots and made her way to the bedroom calmly. Mudge followed after his master, since he had nothing better to do. As he went into the darkened hallway that led to the bathroom, bedroom, and closets, the demon bumped his shoulder into something small in the wall. He turned to his left and found something like a switch. The hallway lit up, and he stared in curiosity into the lamps on the ceiling.

 _It is not fire_ , Mudge thought.

He shook the thought off his mind, realizing he was looking like a primitive ape, and continued his way to the bedroom. The first thing he walked in to find was a unicorn. He frowned as in why such a creature would take up space in this room. The unicorn spotted Mudge as well, but didn't seem to mind his presence. After all, demons and unicorns aren't exactly on the same planes of light and dark, but the unicorn was rather intent on keeping some kind of force field around a bed. The force field was like a light green bubble, wrapped in wispy rainbows and sparkles. In the bed: laid a girl with blonde hair and a young man with silver-white hair. Morgan and Nicole leaned over them, watching how they were doing as the two; Adrian and Scarlet, rested in bed. Mudge could make out some bruises and signs of battle on their faces. The demon then realized that the force field was a spell casted by the unicorn; a healing spell. He tried to step into the area of the healing spell, but it was like the bubble was made out of syrup. He knew that while other creatures could step inside like the bubble was nothing; it was different for demons, as the source of the healing spell was originally of good intentions, keeping away anything that may want to cause harm. In his subconscious, Mudge wouldn't care, but deep down inside: he wanted to be accepted. Small feelings of rejection floated around him ever since he started his service to Morgan.

 _No… I am not jealous of humans,_ Mudge grumbled in his mind. _I do not need to make friends with mortals._

Yet, Mudge still felt a small pain when others looked at him; a demon. Much more, his back was hunched severely, making him look like a gorilla. A little voice within kept saying that he wanted to fit in, under all the other voices that urged Mudge to kill and bludgeon the moment they give him a look. That little voice that wished for acceptance, started to whisper ever since he was accepted by Morgan. Now it's like that voice grew louder into a talking voice, trying to talk through a sea of other voices that wished to destroy.

"Tch," Mudge sounded.

 _I don't need acceptance,_ he kept thinking.

Mudge glanced up, to the Morgan, Nicole, Scarlet, and Adrian.

"He snores real silently…" Morgan observed.

"Scarlet is a train," Nicole blurted out.

The conjurer held back a snicker at Nicole's remark of Scarlet's snoring. She glanced over the two. Adrian was on his side, facing the center of the bed, while Scarlet was curled up in a ball, with a leg over Adrian's hip.

"I wonder where this pretty unicorn came from," Nicole wondered.

With that, she saddled up onto the unicorn, much to the magical mare's surprise. Nicole kept saying things like "Giddyup!" or "Hya!" while the unicorn simply let Nic do her silly things, keeping quiet. However, Morgan could see that the unicorn wanted to make an annoyed sound, but remained its graceful nature.

"Perhaps some theurgists from the Infirmary came and summoned the unicorn," Morgan guessed. "Right, Mister Unicorn?"

The unicorn kept quiet and looked elsewhere, being mistakened for a unicorn stallion, instead of a mare.

"I guess not," Morgan pursed her lips.

Mudge glanced at the unicorn, wondering of its origin as well, and then started to breathe in, his chest puffing up more and more, until he sneezed into his arm. That was strange. Normally, demons wouldn't be sick, until he caught sight of a white feather. He picked it up and waved it to Morgan.

"You have birds here?" the hunchback questioned.

"N-No," Morgan stammered. "Birds?"

She put her knees up onto the bed, leaning over to Mudge for a closer look at the feather, as her rather large breasts brushed over Scarlet's knee.

"The feather is awfully big," Morgan observed. "Maybe a large bird, like an owl."

"I am allergic to owls, and other raptors," Mudge said, and then he swatted his hand, trying to shake off the owl feather, which landed on Morgan's nose.

"Who owns a pet owl around here?" Nicole thought aloud.

"Now I am just hungry for birds," Mudge mumbled.

"I thought you were allergic," Morgan pointed out.

The hunchback's belly grumbled. "Just to the feathers."

Morgan blinked. "Oh… Well dinner isn't anytime soon, and Adrian isn't up to cook anything. W-Well, it's not like we should depend on him for food."

In bed, Adrian moaned silently about "sand" and "food" in his sleep, while Scarlet mumbled out "ew" and "sandwiches."

Morgan glanced over the two directly, still being on the bed over Scarlet and Adrian's legs.

"I think they're hungry too," she giggled.

"Why don't we cook ourselves?" Nicole suggested. "And surprise Scarlet and Adrian with dinner in bed, like they do with breakfast?"

"That's a good idea," Morgan nodded. "But what do we make?"

Nicole tilted her head and put a second or two of thought on it, then switched to Mudge, who was studying the unicorn.

"Hey Mudge," she called out.

"Hmm?" he grunted.

"Can't you cook?" the necromancer asked.

"Yes. But I have never done so before." Mudge answered.

"Wait what?" Morgan was confused. "He can cook, but he has never done so before?"

Nicole started to explain. "In class, lot demons that come as a servant under a master with a contract, gain the ability to basically be able to perform anything that the master might need naturally, like a butler."

"But I never made a contract with Mudge," Morgan pointed out.

"I wonder the same thing," Mudge says. "But as I have said before; I am you, Morgan. I guess you could say I am wandering spirit, making ties to new masters who are like me."

"O-Oh yeah," Morgan stammered.

"So far, you are different," Mudge continued to Morgan. "All the masters I have ever had become consumed with power, treating me just as something to bark orders at. Lady Morgan has treated me… _pleasantly_ to say at the very least."

The hunchback looked away. "Not that I n-need any comfort."

"D'aw come on!" Nicole pounced onto the hunchbacked demon. "You know you like it~"

Mudge growled like an irritated dog, while Morgan giggled at the girl on top of the burly demon.

Several minutes later, Mudge found himself in a chef's hat and a maid's apron. Morgan wore a beige turtleneck sweater, jeans, with a white cooking apron that said "I bake hydras." Nicole also got into an oversized shirt, getting ready to cook with a black, heart-dappled apron and a chef's hat. Mudge observed the kitchen. It was a small one, but it still had enough room for a group of four or so. It was like someone took a small kitchen and dropped in smack dab into a corner of a large living room. After a while of taking inventory, Mudge went over and took an old, dusty book out from cupboards above the cooking range. He patted the cookbook clean of dust. To Morgan and Nicole, Mudge looked so professional. They've only ever seen him in battle, so it was pretty surprising to see the very same behemoth demon start to cook. After a while of searching, he slammed the book onto the countertop table in the middle of the kitchen, surprising Nic and Morg.

Mudge raised a finger and his voice as well. "First! We must clean the kitchen!"

The two wizard girls jumped and scrambled to go to work. Together, they brought the countertops to a shine. They were then ordered to bring out supplies like bowls, whisks, balances, and other things, while Mudge did his equal part of the work as well.

"What are we gonna make?" Nicole asked as she went on her tip toes, trying to bend over to the other end of the kitchen countertop to shine the last spot.

Mudge hummed through the cookbook, observing for anything that would leave a warm, hearty feeling and aftertaste, something that would make it feel like one would be healing faster from a cold.

"Soup?" Mudge mumbled in suggestion. He continued to list warm, soupy dishes; "Gumbo, chicken noodle soup, pasta shells with squash, curry?"

"Chicken noodle soup is boring," Nicole groaned.

"Something with spice that can make Scarlet and Adrian feel alive and well in bed," Morgan thought aloud.

"Hmm," Mudge thought. "That sounds like gumbo, or wet curry."

"What is gumbo, by the way?" Morgan asked.

Nicole suddenly turned to Morgan and jumped with her hand up. "Oooh, oooh! Pick on me!"

"I…" Morgan awkward pointed to the necromancer. "Nicole?"

Nicole grinned gleefully. "Gumbo is like a spicy stew! Like, like; we could throw in mussels, and shrimp, and chicken, and—"

"Gumbo requires a lot of time to make, necromancer," Mudge interrupted.

"Aw," Nicole moaned.

The demon however, raised a finger. "But…"

Mudge's fingers quickly flapped through the pages of the cookbook, opening up to a page.

"We can make curry," the hunchback said. "I should only take thirty or forty minutes to make. Plus, we can create other foods with the extra time, like biscuits or wafers. We can cook the curry so it contains rich spices, enough to feel nicely warm and hearty, and serve it with rice so it balances out the tastes of the spices and the fluffy texture of the rice."

"Wow Mudge," Morgan awed. "You sure know a lot about cooking."

"Well it is not like I had years' worth of practice," the hunchback grumbled away with a bashful blush.

The demon then sets the book down opened to the recipe. He crouches down, grabbing two pots from the cupboards, setting it on the stove, and then turned to Morgan and Nicole.

"Does anyone of you know how to use pyromancy?" Mudge asked. "I need a small flame."

The necromancer and conjurer looked to the demon, then at each other, and shook their heads.

"But wait, hold on," Morgan spoke up suddenly.

With that, the blond conjurer scurried into the dark hallway to the bedroom, then back into the kitchen, returning with a wooden, unevenly bent wand, with a red cloth wrung around the handle.

"I'm sure Scarlet won't mind me borrowing her wand," Morgan grinned.

She then took sight of Mudge setting one of the two pots from the kitchen countertop onto the stove. Inside was three cups of white rice and water.

"Alright then," Mudge confirmed.

His meaty fingers went for the knobs on the stove, and turned them, making the one of the stove top ranges making a low hissing sound.

"May you light up the gas with a fire, my lady?" Mudge requested.

Morgan blinked, glancing from Scarlet's wand in her hand, to the stove. She nodded and approached the stove top. The conjurer visualized the mana flowing in her arms. The streams of the magical energy gave up a bit of mana from her palm, flowing through the wand, and coming out of the tip of the wand as a small spark of fire.

"I-I did it!" Morgan gasped.

The conjurer then pointed the wand under the pot, touching the fire with the invisible gas, and fire billowed up under the pot in an instant, making Morgan squeal and jump back. Nicole had the urge to snicker, while Morgan pouted at the necromancer. Mudge rolled his eyes and covered the pot on the stove.

"Well that covers the rice cooking," the demon summarized. "Now we make the curry."

* * *

After preparing and creating the food, along with a few spills and annoyed yelling, the demon and two wizards return to wake Scarlet and Adrian in their bed, with plates of curry and rice on a bed-top tray. Scarlet "wowed" over the wispy steam that rose from the plates of hot food. The scent of the curry instantly rubbed the sleep out of Adrian's eyes like a splash of water on the face in the morning. Without hesitance, the pyromancer dug into the dish, making sounds of satisfactions. By her, Adrian calmly ate by small spoonfuls, in contrast to his pryomantic friend.

"See? You did really well," Morgan smiled to Mudge, while the hunchback avoided her look reservedly.

"Couldn't have done it without our help though," Nicole grinned cheekily.

"What she said," Mudge mumbled.

"So the big ol' pointy ears made this?" Scarlet asked with her mouthful.

Morgan nodded, giving her fire wizard friend a warm smile. "And what do you have to say to Mudge?"

Adrian put down his fork to say something, but then halts to elbow Scarlet in the waist. The pyromancer gave an upset glare to Adrian like she was saying, "What the hell?" but then realized what Adrian wanted her to do.

"Thank you for the meal, Mudge!" Scarlet and Adrian chanted in unison.

The hunchback demon tried to suppress a smile, making Nicole giggle.

"Oh yeah," Nicole suddenly started, pointing to the unicorn in the room that was holding up the healing force field. "How'd the pretty pony get here?"

"The Headmaster came and summoned it," Adrian answered, picking his spoon into the rice.

"What? Why would the Headmaster come here?" Morgan questioned, appearing bewildered.

"We were given another quest," Scarlet grinned with her spoon between her teeth.

"But you two are still recovering!" Morgan tried to point out.

"We should be fine tomorrow, thanks to the unicorn," Scarlet shrugged.

"Why us? Are we going to have to do something dangerous again?"

"The old man said every one of us is going to be separated," Scarlet explained. "There's like three streets that are in trouble apparently."

"But no worries, mate," Adrian spoke up. "Mister Ambrose said we'll be going with other wizards. He said we should be familiar with a few of them."

"Familiar with who?" Nicole pointed out.

"Whom," Morgan and Adrian corrected simultaneously, and then the two glanced at each other.

Scarlet thought about for a bit. "But the only ones we know are like Ceren Nightchant, or that Alexander guy."

"Well I don't think Ceren will be joining us," Nicole said. "I wouldn't consider him as that strong, no offense."

"You think that…" Morgan stopped for a bit. "You think that the Four Elite Initiates will be joining us?"

"Does that mean I have to be with Ashley Breeze?" Scarlet thought aloud.

"Is that bad?" the conjurer asked.

"I dunno. We're rivals I guess. This means I can see all her powers for myself!"

Everyone else went, "Eeeeh," while Mudge raised an eyebrow, wondering why everyone made an uncertain sound at Scarlet.

"Aw it'll be fine, Morg," Scarlet assured.

However, Morgan wasn't convinced about anything, as she crossed her arms and made a dubious look.

"Today is Wednesday, right?" Adrian asked.

Scarlet turned to him. "Why do you ask?"

Adrian shook his hair out of his eyes, and then continued to speak, "If today is the middle of the week, and we're being sent on some 'quest', then what about our grades?"

"What _about_ our grades?" Scarlet scoffed.

"You know, there are some of us who'd like to keep good grades…" Morgan pointed out.

"Oh so it's just me," the pyromancer pouted.

"You know," Morgan started, "Maybe the reason you have bad grades is because you don't actually try."

"Yeah, and last time I tried, I burnt up one side of the Fire School's wallpaper," Scarlet said. "I thought the Fire School is supposed to be resistant to its own thing."

"Just try," the conjurer sighed.

"Fine… Fine," Scarlet muttered.

Adrian glanced around, and then nervously tried to bring up his question from before. "Um guys, my question? About our grades?"

"Most likely, I think Mister Ambrose will take care of it," Nicole leaned into the conversation. "A quest is certainly more fun than an hour of taking notes."

"She has a point, for once," Scarlet smiled.

"Say, say," Nicole jumped. "When are we going to do this 'quest?' Sounds like a RPG."

"RPG?" Morgan asked.

"Eh, nevermind," Nicole whistled. "But really, when's the quest going?"

"We don't know exactly," Adrian answered, then poked a spoonful of curry into his mouth. "The Headmaster said 'as soon as possible.'"

"Awfully vague," Scarlet summed up.

"Wait, what is the quest though?" Nicole asked.

"We're to help with some problems in Firecat Alley, Triton Avenue, and Cyclops Lane," Scarlet replied. "But anyways, I'm sure we'll be notified of what to do tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" Morgan repeated.

The conjurer wondered much time would hold until "tomorrow," while she gazed outside through the window's lavender curtains.

"I don't know what the Headmaster is trying to do, sending us out onto the streets," the myth wizard grimaced.

"As long as I get to be excused from the academic classes," Scarlet chuckled. "Trying to teach those damned 'maths' or something. Division is stupid."

The pyromancer then let a sigh as she fell back from her bedtop dinner and onto the pillow.

Morgan then twisted to her Scarlet friend. "Scarlet, what level math class are you taking?"

"Uh…"

Scarlet itched at her cheek.

"Math 1-2?"

Morgan tried to say something, but was simply too dumbstruck for any words.

"Nicole?" Morgan called. "What level are you in?"

"Geometry 3-4," Nicole answered with a hand by her forehead like a salute.

"And I'm in Honors Calculus 1-2," Morgan said. "What about you, Adrie?"

"Bifurcation Theory and Applied Dynamic Systems," Adrian mumbled while finishing his plate of curry.

Morgan gave him an astounded look, while the thaumaturge shrugged, and fell back onto his pillow.

"And what's your point?" Scarlet frowned to Morgan. "Hey, I didn't get to go to school when I was a kid."

"W-Well I just expected you to be somewhere people aged fifteen or sixteen are expected to be," Morgan stammered. "And I never even heard about whatever Adrian just said; Bif.. fur- What?"

"I can explain the basics. Give me six hours, tops," Adrian muttered.

"N-Nevermind," Morgan said with a forced chuckle.

"That's what I thought," Adrian hummed into his blanket.

"Oi, are you guys done with the meal?" Nicole asked with a jumpy attitude.

The necromancer bolted up to the bedside, flashing around Scarlet and Adrian, repeating the question with an eager smile.

"Yeah yeah, we're fine," Scarlet moaned. "Geez, you're annoying."

"Well that's what I'm here for," Nicole grinned.

With ease, Nicole flipped over the bed, grabbing the bedtop meal tray in mid-air, including the dishes, empty glasses, as well as giving Scarlet a boop on her nose.

After landing, she announced, "I'mma clean it!" And the girl trotted off into the hallway.

"Sometimes, I wonder if she's even human," Scarlet grumbled.

"It's amusing to see you annoyed, you know," Adrian smirked.

"Shut up!" Scarlet snapped back at him.

Scarlet then went to flail her hands at Adrian's face, making the thaumaturge laugh.

"Nooooo," Adrian mockingly mourned.

Morgan stood by, settling down on a chair nearby the bed. The conjurer giggled into her hand and smiled at the two fellow wizards.

"Are they always like this?" a rough voice sounded.

Mudge came up beside Morgan, sitting down on the carpet next to her.

"I know they're fifteen or sixteen, so I cannot understand their current behavior," the hunchback observed.

"Well we still like to mess around sometimes," Morgan laughed quietly. "Hard to believe now that Scarlet and Adrian has only been friends for five days. They're awfully close, like siblings."

"Do sibling-like friends attack each other?" Mudge grumbled. "Should we stop them?"

"It's as I said, Mudge; they're just messing around. See?"

Morgan pointed to Scarlet, who was now panting beside her ice wizard friend. Adrian let out a snicker, and Scarlet couldn't help but crack a smile as well, but she still took her pillow, in an attempt to smother Adrian's face.

"See?" Morgan gleamed. "Just messing around."

Mudge glanced at Morgan, wondering if her grin was legitimate or not, but then turned back to watching Adrian and Scarlet.

"Humans are complex social creatures," Mudge mumbled. "So unpredictable."

Suddenly, Scarlet's voiced sounded," A-Ah… Ow, my sides. Ack, they huuuurrt…"

The pyromancer bit her lip, grabbing at her sore sides from moving around too much.

"Haha," Adrian laughed. "Tired so soon?"

"I swear, when I get better, I'm gonna give you a big, juicy slug up your chin," Scarlet growled, displaying her fist.

"I bet that slug is salted," Adrian smirked.

Scarlet made another annoyed sound and pushed Adrian's face back.

"Aaack, dead," Adrian said, and then played dead.

"Not big surprise," Scarlet grinned.

Meanwhile, Morgan blushed at the two, becoming jealous of how close Scarlet was to Adrian.

"Are you alright, master?" Mudge asked. "Your blood pulses of envy."

Mudge didn't appear to be mocking at Morgan, only stating what he saw innocently, but Morgan still freaked, and looked away from Adrian and Scarlet.

"N-No," Morgan stammered. "W-Wait, how could you tell?"

"Well I can read emotions by smelling one's pheromones and sensing their heartbeats, only if they are close," Mudge explained. "I also sense that you are lying."

"N-No I'm not," Morgan blushed.

After a bit of stammering, Morgan managed to let go of her fidgeting, then turned her opal blue eyes back to her fire and ice friends. It seemed they've finally calmed down, well to a certain extent. Scarlet had her arms crossed, frowning at the lavender-painted ceiling, while Adrian was still chuckling gently, with his face half-submerged under the blanket's warmth.

"DOG PILE!" Nicole's voice suddenly sounded.

The necromancer suddenly rushed into the room with a glowing wand, jumping up into the air and landing on Scarlet and Adrian, but not before magically making their bed bigger for one or two more people.

"O-Ow…" Scarlet groaned. "Nic, girl, what are you doing?"

"Well this _is_ my bed after all," Nicole pointed out with a raised finger.

"So what, are you just going to sleep with me and Adrian?" Scarlet asked.

Then, Scarlet suddenly realized what she said when she mentioned "sleep with me and Adrian" and immediately blushed away.

"Yep yep!" Nicole giggled. "It's like a sleepover!"

"But we already reside in the same dorm room," Scarlet said, almost breaking out the words into a question at the end.

"What's a sleepover?" Adrian asked.

"I know we're in the same room!" Nicole chirped. "But we can be all in the same bed! Say say, Morgan!"

The necromancer waved to the conjurer.

"Come join us!" Nicole gleamed.

"U-Uh… Sure," Morgan stammered. "But at least let me change into my night wear."

Nicole watched as the conjurer made her way into the closets, sliding the door closed. One of the necromancer pointer fingers then bolted towards Mudge.

"You too, Mudge!" she called out.

"Wait, what?" Mudge stepped back, giving the necromancer girl a bewildered look.

Scarlet's look switched from the tip of Nicole's sparkly black fingernails, and Mudge's priceless expression that was basically the literalization of "Wat."

"You know," Scarlet started. "I'd let him in and crush us and all, but not while I'm still recovering."

"What she said," Mudge mumbled.

"Oh, don't be such a baby," Nicole laughed.

"Demons don't need sleep," he grumbled. "But… I suppose I can sleep as a luxury."

"Guys, what's a sleepover?" Adrian asked again.

The closet doors sprung open as Morgan returned in creamy yellow and light blue bunny pajamas. Nicole eyed her myth wizard friend with excitedment.

"This going to be the best sleepover," Nicole said. "Ever!"

The girl sprung up her skinny arms in excitement, and then bounced on her knees on top of Scarlet.

"Ow, ow ooooowwwww," the pyromancer groaned.

With every bounce Nicole makes on Scarlet, the fire wizard went, "Ow. Ow. Stop. Jump. Ping. On. Me."

With that, Nicole beamed a cheerful grin at the pyromancer. The death-weaving girl wrapped her arms around Scarlet in a big, glompy hug, giggling as her hold tightened. Nicole then suddenly stood on her knees above Scarlet and pumped her fist.

"Tonight, we're going to be as cuddly as possible!" she declared.

"Uh…" Morgan cleared her throat. "Isn't that awkward with Adrian around?"

"Oh come _on!_ " Nicole scoffed. "We're all _adults_ here!"

"You know, you could've worded that better," Morgan coughed.

"What she said," Scarlet and Mudge blurted in unison.

Amidst the commotion, Adrian laid there in bed, still hiding the bottom half of his face in his blanket.

"Guys, I still don't know what a sleepover is…"


	19. Sergeant's Orders

"Oh my…"

A girl theurgist walked into the bedroom to find four teenagers in one, large, widened bed. From right to left, was Nicole, hugging onto Scarlet's head, while the pyromancer snored loudly. Scarlet's body was sprawled all over on the bed, and her foot pressed up against Adrian's waist. He rested almost silently and neatly, sleeping straight as a board, not bothering Morgan, who was snoring softly and quietly. However, the conjurer was just by the side of the bed, in danger of falling off. Fortunately, she was hugging onto Mudge's hand. The gorilla-like demon was curled up on the floor, next to the left side of the bed, letting his master; Morgan, hold onto his hand. Meanwhile, the girl theurgist watched with surprise. She was dressed in black, with green and brown trims; a long-sleeved zippered robe with two coattails, a tall wizard's hat, thigh-high boots with high heels, and a short skirt, being cut at the sides and was replaced pleated, white, embroidered cloth. It was Molly Lionheart, one of the Four Elite Initiates.

"They're all in the same bed," the life wizard smiled warmly. "Strange how there is one boy in the middle of three girls."

She coughed to herself in awkwardness.

"Are you in here, Miss Molly?" a voice sounded out of the hallway.

Ceren Nightchant entered the bedroom and shyed up next to his superior, Molly. He was in his usual wizard clothing; a green hooded robe with theurgy-themed decorations sewn in.

"What… are they doing?" Ceren blushed.

"Reminds me of family," Molly warmly commented.

"Shall I wake them for you, miss?" he asked.

Molly shook her head at Ceren. "Hold on."

The Assistant Chief of the Infirmary approached the bed, leaning over Nicole to observe Scarlet and Adrian, with a clipboard with documents in her arm. Ceren couldn't make out what Molly was trying to find, and gave up in trying to do so after his superior stood back up straight.

"It seems they are fully recovered," Molly summed up. "I'd imagined it would've taken longer for the two to recover. I wonder why."

"Probably because there's a unicorn?" Ceren pointed out. "A unicorn that's holding up a healing field around us?"

Molly furrowed her brows, and glanced around herself. A large green bubble surrounded the atmosphere, pressing onto the walls and corners of the bedroom. Stray, magical ribbons of green, and rainbow particles, floated around inside the bubble.

"You know, I never noticed something that big until you pointed it out," she smirked. "See if the unicorn is doing okay, Ceren."

Ceren nodded at Molly's request, and turned around to greet the unicorn. He pets the unicorn's neck and pressed his forehead onto the mare's nose. Ceren then turned back to Molly to report his findings.

"The unicorn is a bit fatigued from staying up from yesterday's afternoon, up to right now, in the late morning," he said.

"Oh my," Molly gasped a bit.

The theurgist gently trotted up to the unicorn's side. She wrapped her arms around the unicorn mare and petted the mare's mane.

"You're a strong unicorn," Molly complimented with a caring tone. "You did well. You can go now."

The mare blinked her weary eyes at Molly and fanned her ears out to the side, showing some signs of relief. With that, the unicorn's form started to glow, brightening in a whitish-green light, until the mare was no more, disintegrating into illuminant magic dust. It amazed Ceren to see someone like Molly, who was only fourteen years old, have such a maternal, caring and assuring aura. Ceren was a year older than Molly. However, Molly is a journeyman wizard, while he was an initiate. She was already so powerful in her magical ability, holding authority over the nurses and caretakers of Ravenwood's Infirmary. Molly was also a 1st Seat Surgeon. All this had Ceren idolizing over his superior. Of course, Molly was already adored by Ceren, regardless of her prodigal statuses, as Molly Lionheart is famed as the Goddess of Ravenwood, holding the prettiest, most recognizable beauty in the entire Academy. Molly's green eyes were of viridian jewels, and her caramel brown hair was captivating and flowing, like a chocolatier's most richly made confections. Her face was like it was sculpted by the Immortals themselves, bearing characteristics of a pleasant, delicate girl, whose smile could warm up many legions with a sense of cuddliness.

"Well now," Molly smiled, "You can wake them up now, Ceren."

"A-Ah, right!" he stammered.

The theurgist approached the bed full of novice wizards. He glanced over Scarlet, Adrian, Morgan, Nicole, and Mudge, who was sleeping on the floor by the side of the bed. Before his hand went to wake up one of the, Ceren glanced back at Molly.

"Miss Molly, are you sure you're going to be safe on this quest?" he asked. "Furthermore, are Scarlet and the others going to be okay was well?"

"I'll be fine, dear," Molly assured him. "It's those four… and the demon, you should be worried about."

Molly motioned towards the novice wizards on the bed. "Now wake them up. The Headmaster is waiting."

Ceren turned back to the bed full of young wizards. Before his hand reached Nicole's shoulder, the life wizard halted, and thought of something better. Why wake them up one by one? Why do that when you can just-

"RISE AN' SHINE, FOLKS!" Ceren shouted.

Instantly all of the novice wizards woke up.

Scarlet sat up straight as a bolt. "NINJA PIGS!"

Morgan's body jolted in bed, as she hugged tighter onto Mudge's hand. "FAILED THE TEST!"

Adrian scrambled to support himself on his arms on the bed. "I'M NOT A GIRL ANYMORE!"

Nicole somehow disappeared from under the blanket and stood on top with one foot on the footboard of the bed. "I COULDN'T COME UP WITH SOMETHING TO SAY!"

And finally, Mudge was still curled up in his sleep, but grumbled out, "Stop that, master… I don't… Mreh… Heh…."

Molly and Ceren stood side by side. Their expressions had their eyes widened in shock.

"Those must be some…" Molly racked her mind for something to say. "Interesting dreams?"

"Did Adrian have a dream that he was a girl?" Ceren asked himself aloud.

 _I don't think it would matter much since he already looks like one,_ Ceren snickered to himself. _But anyways, HE GETS TO SLEEP WITH THREE GIRLS?_

The life wizard then wondered why he hadn't come up with his last thought earlier when he came into the bedroom.

"Y-You!" Scarlet pointed to the theurgists. "W-Wait, how'd you guys get into the dorm?"

"The door was left unlocked," Molly smiled.

After a second of wondering, Adrian, Scarlet, and Morgan all turned their eyes to Nicole.

Nicole let out a little laugh. "I forgot?"

"You had one job; locking the door," Scarlet grunted.

"And I did half of it!" Nic grinned.

The fire wizard lifted her brow. "What half is there to locking a door?"

"Closing the door," Nicole answered innocently.

"For once, she has a point," Adrian commented.

"Psh," Scarlet sounded.

She rolled her eyes, but then glanced up to Molly and Ceren, who were standing in front of the bed she was in.

"Hey nurse, what're you guys doing here?" the pyromancer questioned.

"We came to check on you and the thaumaturge's recovery," Molly explained to Scarlet. "And to fetch you and your friends to Olde Town. We are to meet with the Headmaster."

At the sound of the Headmaster, Morgan assumed this was about the quest, to take care of the recent problems on the streets of Wizard City.

"The thing about the Three Streets, right?" Morgan asked.

Molly nodded with a grim expression. "I'm not sure why the Headmaster would request novices to investigate the recent incidents. But it is the Headmaster's decision after all."

The theurgist tugged on the front of her tall hat.

"I shall trust in his decision. It seems he trusts that you four to be strong enough," Molly ended.

"Wait, hold on," Morgan protested. "What are these 'incidents'?"

"We are going to have to find out for ourselves," Molly answered.

"Hey, pervert," Scarlet called to Ceren. "You're coming?"

Ceren shook his head. "I don't think I want to go anyways, regardless if my arm was healed or not."

"Oh yeah: your arm," Scarlet recalled.

The pyromancer remembered the time when she and her friends had to fight a skeleton named Rattlebones. He was quite strong. The skeleton put a deep wound down Ceren's right arm with his sword. As of now, Ceren's arm is healthy enough to use its muscles, but he would have to wait a few more days before the life wizard could use his arm's full strength again.

"Well, I suggest you four dress up soon," Molly said. "The Headmaster requests for you lot to arrive as soon as possible."

The journeyman theurgist then had a pen appear in thin-air, right in the grasps of her fingers. With that, Molly recorded down information down on her clipboard.

"Fit… as a fiddle…" she mumbled to herself as she wrote.

As Molly made her notes, Nicole yawned and stretched. Morgan, Scarlet, and Adrian saw and instinctively done the same. They all crawled out of the bed and went about their normal morning routines, but in haste. Molly Lionheart and her subordinate, Ceren NIghtchant, waited for the four students of the Violet Nightingale House in the living quarters of their dorm room. Molly didn't do much but keep filling out documents and reports on her clipboards on a bean bag, with crossed legs. Ceren watched Scarlet and her friends walking about the dorms, dressing and washing up. The initiate theurgist also made note of Dorm Six. It wasn't as big and ornate as his dorm, but somehow felt a lot better, as if it was perfectly spacious for a household of four. His dorm was like a nobleman's manor, complete with a library feel, fireplace, and brick walls, while Dorm Six had mixes of grey and lavender. The walls were barely flat, and had a feel of simplicity. Modern was the right word. He especially poked around the flatscreen crystal-vision set in front of the red couches.

"It's just one big black mirror," he said to himself as he kept walking around the crystal-vision.

On the side of the crystal-vision, he saw a set of buttons. To Ceren, it was like seemingly random bumps, all lined up orderly, with words beside them that said, _channel, volume, up, down, format, power,_ and so on. Suddenly, a hand appeared in front of him, and Ceren jumped back. It was just Nicole. Instead of black pajamas, the necromancer was now in her usual outdoor clothing; her wizardly clothes. Black and white robes, spiral-ended hat, all that. Nicole's hand extended a finger, and poked onto the button that was labeled, _power_. The crystal-vision powered on, displaying a morning talk show with Marleybonians and Polarians.

"Dah, where's the remote…" Nicole mumbled while she shifted around the couches.

In Ceren's eyes, Nicole managed to fish out a black, rectangular slab of marble. It had plenty more buttons, or 'bumps', with labels.

"Who makes a remote control with actual stone?" Nicole mumbled to herself.

She pointed the contraption towards the "big black mirror" and the image of the morning talk show switched to an animated show.

"Oh sweet," Nicole smiled with anticipation. "Kill la Kill!"

"Kill la what?" Ceren raised an eyebrow. "What's the blue and white costume? It's… it's showing her everything!"

Quickly, the theurgist covered his eyes, avoiding the moving image on the crystalvision of a young woman with a sword, wearing a bizarre blue and white outfit that could very well be considered skimpy. However, Ceren made a small opening in his fingers, peeking through at was happening.

Nicole waggled the remote control by her head. "I wonder how they managed to get channels from Earth…"

"Wait…" Ceren said as he then started to watch the show intently. "Oh my god, she just cut off that rainbow hair lady's head!"

The theurgist made gagging sounds into his palm, while Molly looked up from her clipboard to Ceren, then to the crystalvision, and then back.

"Now that's just creepy," Ceren added as he eyed the "rainbow hair lady" reattach her head to her body.

Pretty soon, everyone else gathered behind Ceren and Nicole, watching the episode of Kill la Kill with feelings of shame, surprise, exhilaration, and astoundment, except for Adrian, who only wondered how he could be able to reattach body parts like in the anime, actually believing everything in the show was real.

"I've got to find out how to do that…" Adrian wowed.

"You mean find a perverted outfit and wreck utter shit?" Scarlet asked.

"Scarlet!" Morgan exclaimed. "Language!"

"Oh grow up," Scarlet rolled her eyes.

"Huh," Nicole sounded. "And I thought everyone here in Wizard City was too much into 'olden time' to cuss casually."

"What does 'shit' mean?" Adrian asked with innocent eyes.

Morgan gasped and rushed to the ice wizard's side, closing his ears by hugging Adrian's head into her unnaturally large breasts.

"Adrian is too pure to know!" Morgan hissed.

"Oh my gods, you're totally right," Nicole said.

"Wow," Ceren added with widened eyes. "He really _is_ innocent."

"Pfft," Scarlet scoffed. "He's gonna know sooner or later."

"I now believe I know why the thaumaturge was eligible to be put into the girls' dorms," Molly figured out.

Adrian tried to muffle out of Morgan's boobs; "I'm suffocating!" However, it came out as, "MI'MPH MUMPHOCATIMPH!"

* * *

Scarlet, Morgan, Mudge, Molly,and Ceren, started traversing upon the streets of the Commons, freshly popping out of the tunnel to Ravenwood. Nicole and Adrian were left behind, because they've decided to clean up Dorm Six after breakfast, and had planned to catch up later. Breakfast time was over at 7:00, so now students populated the Commons, hanging out and about until they have to go to their first classes at 8:00. Groups of friends and clubs idly stood around, sharing words and such, passing by as Molly led her acquaintances to the Shopping District.

"So uh…" Scarlet scratched her cheek. "Who's joining us?"

Molly didn't seem to react much to the question, keeping the same pace as she kept stepping along.

"Wouldn't want to ruin the surprise, no?" she giggled.

"So Ashley is coming?" Scarlet blurted out.

Molly gave her a simple shrug, while the fire wizard frowned, only being able to see the back of her caramel brown hair.

The group soon neared the Headmaster's house. Morgan's eyes took in the view of the gated walls around the house. It was two stories, and shaped like a U, making the building pretty big. Her observation was suddenly knocked off, as a stranger bumped into Morgan. The person fell back and dropped her books and papers. Morgan gasped and went to apologize, only to say her words in unison with the new person. They looked up and revealed themself to be a girl. She was somewhat petite in size and figure, appearing to be a thirteen years old at least.

"A-ah, oh my! I am so, so sorry!" she stammered as she scrambled to snatch her stuff back.

"N-N-No!" Morgan sputtered back. "I should be sorry!"

Scarlet stood by Mudge, leaning to his ear as they watched the stranger and Morgan.

"Funny to see two 'clumsies' interacting," she whispered to the hunchback.

"It _is_ somewhat amusing," Mudge smirked back.

Morgan finished helping the girl up. The conjurer watched up and down the person. She had black cleric's robes, similar to Nicole's robes, but it was fashioned more into a fancy, frilly, lacey dress instead. She donned a hood as well, with the death school's symbols on the sides. On her feet, were thigh socks and heeled Mary Jane shoes with flowers on top. In her hand, was a skull-topped rod. However, the wand had silver rings and designs around it. Normally, necromancers wouldn't have silver on their equipment, as the reflective metal is a bane for the undead.

"You're a necromancer?" she asked.

The girl blinked, and then nodded. "I just got here to Wizard City, and I don't know what's going on! Nothing is like what they said it would be!"

Her voice sounded posh. If one could guess, her accent told that she was from Marleybone.

"Well, there's undead running amok, for one," Scarlet murmured behind Morgan.

The girl thought about Scarlet's statement. "Well this _is_ Wizard City, right? They have them around for classes!"

Scarlet's lips wanted to say more, but the new girl kept on.

"My parents told me all about how nice Professor Malistaire was when they came here, and how I'd enjoy his classes," the girl explained.

She then stomped on the cobblestone and hugged onto her books tighter.

"I came here, and he's gone! No one knows what's happened to him, and even the whole Death classroom is missing! There's just floating rubble!"

Finally, Molly Lionheart stepped up to the girl.

"Well, honey; the undead are getting more out of control, and they're out on the streets," the theurgist explained. "As we are speaking."

"Not to mention Professor Malistaire is the one responsible for this," Scarlet added on in a murmur.

"What? Really?" the girl gasped.

She then made a whiny "Oooooh!"

"My parents are totally wrong!" she said to herself. "They said I could have someone I can go to and trust! Now it's going to be like first grade all over."

Scarlet raised a brow. "What do you mean, 'like first grade all over'?"

Then the pyromancer immediately regretted asking that, as she was forced to listen to another of the girl's ramblings. She said something about not being able to find friends, trying to find a table to eat at during lunch, that one glue accident, how she gotten allergic to cyclopes, so on and so forth. Scarlet thought it would never end, though it was only like half a minute and she didn't want to be rude and walk off. The pyromancer looked back to Ceren, Molly, and Morgan. They didn't want to be inconsiderate either, and then Scarlet let out a huff of a sigh, turning back to the necromancer girl they had met.

"…and there was this one time this girl ran around with giant red scissors and she-"

"Hold on, kid," Scarlet stopped her words. "We know you're worried and all but… Hey, I mean I could help out if you want."

"Yeah, but you're going to be busy soon," Ceren reminded her.

He then thought about all the undead, or whatever troubled the Three Streets.

" _Very_ busy," the life wizard added.

"I'll just find some time later," Scarlet snorted.

"If you make it out alive," Ceren whistled.

Molly heard over the conversation and cleared her throat.

"I do believe they have a theurgist on their side," the theurgist hummed.

"Oh, right," Ceren chuckled nervously. "Sorry, Miss Molly."

The new girl wasn't sure what they meant by "if you make it out alive," but then returned to Scarlet.

"So you'll help me?" she asked with a hopeful shine in her eyes.

"Why not?" Scarlet shrugged.

"This is our first year as well," Morgan added as she came up to Scarlet's side. "We have a dorm mate who enrolled to Ravenwood a few days ago. He's just as new as you. You guys can learn alongside each other."

The necromancer girl's brown eyes sparkled up to Morgan.

"Really?" she asked in anticipation, but then lost it. "W-Well I don't know if I could make a friend…"

"Well speak of a helephant," Ceren piped up. "He's here."

Ceren pointed towards the tunnel to Ravenwood, spotting Adrian and Nicole. The bubbly, happy-go-lucky necromancer girl waved enlivenedly, while her thaumaturge companion had a hand in his coat pocket, and the other held a gem-topped walking cane, with his back held straight and casually.

"Hey guys!" Nicole jumped with wavy hands. "Hey! Hey!"

Adrian followed her, raising his hand in greeting to the group of friends not too far away from him. "We've caught up."

The two met up with Scarlet, Morgan, Mudge, Ceren, Molly, and the girl.

"So what does that mean; 'speak of a helephant'?" Adrian questioned.

Suddenly, a sharp gasp escaped through the fingers of the new necromancer girl.

"It can't be…" she whispered loudly.

Scarlet made a nervous smile, not wanting another one of her rants. "What can't be?"

"So hey," Adrian started. "Who's this new person?"

The girl had her eyes locked on Adrian, and she her arms tightened around her books and papers. Tears started to well up in her eyes.

"Wh-Wha…" Adrian fumbled and glanced around anxiously. "Did I say something?"

The ice wizard then cast his attention back on the new girl, for a long while. Adrian was trying to identify the girl's face that was cast under the shadow of her hood.

"Are… are you?"

The necromancer girl gulped, sniffed, and threw herself onto Adrian. Her face was buried in his waistcoat, and her fist came down on his chest with every word she spoke.

"Where. Have. You. GONE? It's been years!"

The poundings didn't affect Adrian much, but her very presence troubled the ice wizard. Meanwhile, Ceren leaned towards Morgan.

"He knows this kid?" he asked Morgan.

"I don't know," she replied, and then watched the new girl hugging onto Adrian, becoming slightly green with envy.

The nobly-dressed thaumaturge held onto the girl with discomfort, trying to think up of something to say, but he sighed.

"Sorry, for leaving…"

"Hey hey now," Scarlet interrupted. "Who's this girl?"

A jolt ran through Adrian's hair as the question reached his ears, and then he looked up to Scarlet. The ice wizard gently pushed the girl away and set her straight for everyone to see, but the girl kept wiping away tears with her arms.

"Now, I thought a lady had to keep as cute as possible," he prompted.

"Y-Yes, of course," the girl stuttered as she struggled to stop crying.

It was seen as her hands went up, that her nails were painted black, with a white thorny vine silhouette on each of them. She took off her hood, and revealed herself to have dark brown, slightly wavy, shoulder-length hair, with the hair at her sides made into long drills. A headband with a large, black and white heart was worn, and the girl possessed chocolate-colored eyes with a genuine sparkle in each of them. Her face gave her a cute, naïve look, and her posh voice was squeaky and a bit whiny.

"This is Penny Dreadful," Adrian introduced. "She's my… my…"

He scratched his head in trying to rack his mind for the word he had forgotten.

"Fee? Finance… Flyer… Um, Penny, what's that Polarian-sounding word?"

Penny let out a slight giggle, then sighed.

"You stupid shorty," she nagged.

The petite necromancer then turned to Adrian's friends, and the occasional hunchback demon.

"What he is trying to say is that I am his fiancée," Penny announced.

There was a while of silence, and Morgan suddenly felt her world cracking and falling on itself. Scarlet spat out in surprise and gagged.

"PFFFFT, WHAT? YOU'RE ALREADY WITH SOMEONE?" she yelled.

With puffed cheeks, the pyromancer snickered and laughed to herself.

"You're serious, right?" Scarlet asked again.

"Already… with someone?" Adrian scratched his cheek. "I don't know what you're talking about. Aren't I already with you guys? But anyways, yeah; Penny is like… my older sister!"

"O-Older," Penny repeated.

Penny straightened herself and took a nice, look gaze at Adrian, up and down his figure.

"Hmhm, you've grown taller than me!" she observed.

"Does this mean you'll stop calling me 'shorty'?" Adrian asked.

"Not a chance, shorty," Penny snorted. "Plus, you're wearing heels on those boots."

"I would still be much taller than you," Adrian murmured.

Penny smirked with hands on her hips. "And plus…"

The young lady in her ball-gown-like wizard robes approached Adrian with sultry steps, and she put a hand on his chest.

"You've grown a lot more handsome, but also more pretty. You're cuter than ever."

Her hand then got up and walked up his pectorals on its fingers, while Adrian was watching what was happening, not really getting her vibe, while the others watched with raised eyebrows, some knowing more than others. At the sound of her complimenting words, Adrian blushed a bit and shyed his attention away. Suddenly, Molly cleared her throat.

"Excuse me, but I do believe we have to get going," the elite theurgist reminded. "The Headmaster is waiting."

"Wait, what?" Penny jumped.

The necromancer twisted to meet Molly and the others, eye to eyes.

"Where is the Headmaster?" she asked.

Abruptly, Nicole raised her hand, wanting her fingers to reach the most tippiest toppiest highest she could.

"Pick me, pick me!" she repeated.

Penny stepped back in confusion. "Wh-What?"

"She chooses you, Nicole," Scarlet called to her death wizard friend in place of Penny.

"Yes!" Nicole chanted, pumping a fist. "Headmaster Ambrose is in Olde Town, waiting for us!"

"Oh good!" Penny smiled.

The petite necromancer clapped her hands.

"I've talked to Mister Lincoln, the registrar about my enrollment, but there was confusion in something or whatever. Could you talk to the Headmaster about it?" Penny requested.

The group of friends looked at each other, but then Scarlet spoke up.

"Like I said, we could help," the pyromancer smiled. "So yeah, sure!"

Penny let out a short laugh of relief, and twisted around, taking up Adrian's hands.

"You have such nice friends!" she commented, and then narrowed her eyes on the thaumaturge's.

"How did you do it?" Penny asked in an almost interrogative tone.

"Um well," Adrian thought. "I was assigned to their dormitory, and that's where I met my first friends."

His hand motioned to his companions as the ice wizard called their names.

"Nicole Soulthief, Morgan Mistblade, and Scarlet Night."

Baffled, Penny stepped back. "You were placed in the girls' dormitory?"

"I asked the same thing," Ceren mumbled to himself with wandering thoughts.

"Is that bad?" Adrian asked. "I don't see the need to separate girls and boys."

Penny sighs and shook her head. "You remember that talk we had?"

"Oh yeah… 'There's boobs, and no boobs'," the ice wizard remembered, and then turned to Penny.

"But you don't have boobs," he said innocently.

With that, Scarlet started snickering. Molly, Ceren, and Nicole also followed after Scarlet, and Morgan glanced at her own, large breasts, while Mudge didn't really get why the others held in their laughs. Penny harbored a deep, burning blush from the neck up, and nodded with a sigh.

"Yes, Adrian, I don't have that much of a bosom," Penny said irritatedly, "but I am still growing."

"But you're a year older than me," he pointed out.

"DON'T-"

Penny was about to shriek in embarrassment, and then reclaimed her posture.

"Don't bring that up… Please," she asked calmly.

"Oh yeah," Adrian recalled. "Forgive me, love~" he apologized. With his high voice, it sounded cute.

Penny blinked at his request, and couldn't say no to his child-like innocence.

"But anyways," Adrian glanced towards the tunnel to the Shopping District. "We have to go."

Scarlet stepped up to Penny. "And hey, we'll talk to the Headmaster about your problem, alright?"

"Th-Thank you," Penny stammered. "I appreciate it."

Scarlet gave her a beaming grin, and then turned to continue on the way to Olde Town.

"Come on guys, we shouldn't keep the old man waiting," Scarlet nagged.

With that, she and the other waved to Penny and started to go, but Adrian decided to stay a little longer, due to Penny wanting to say some more.

"You know, I'm going to write to father and mother that I found you!" Penny smiled cheekily.

Distraught entered Adrian's eyes, turning them into a shade of dark aqua, instead of its normal icy blue.

"Please don't," Adrian immediately blurted out.

"Wh-Why?" Penny asked.

"I… Well, I just wanted to be gone from Marleybone," Adrian admitted. "For a while, at least."

"You mean…"

Penny was reluctant to say it.

"You mean your father, Adrian?"

The thaumaturge blinked, then huffed.

"Yes."

Penny's lip kept sealed, but then turned up to meet her eyes with Adrian's, showing a degree of cheerfulness in attempt for her fiancé to do the same.

"Well, you don't want to keep your friends waiting, right?" the small necromancer reminded.

Adrian let out a short chuckle, and nodded. Silently, he turned, with a hand in coat pocket, and the other on the top of his blue-gem-topped walking cane, walking away.

"And Adrian?" Penny called out.

The thaumaturge stopped.

"It's been three years. Don't ever leave me like that again, alright?" Penny requested. "Also…"

The necromancer cradled her books and papers with a firm grasp.

"I missed you, very much."

The ice wizard stood his ground with no sound. The breezes made the ribbon tied around his top hat, flap around. Adrian then turned his head back, lifting his top hat, and brushed his snow white hair way from his eyes, in order to get one last glimpse at Penny.

"Missed you too."

The two kept sharing their connection by eye contact, both muted of words. The one who broke the silence, was Adrian, who put back the top hat on his crown, and gave Penny a short wave by his forehead, like a salute, along with a reassuring smirk.

"Best not to keep gloomy," Penny said in response to his farewell. "Right?"

"Right," Adrian nodded. "So cheers, love."

Penny blinked her dark chocolate eyes, and then giggled. "Cheers."

* * *

It was late morning when the Scarlet, Nicole, Mudge, Adrian and Morgan arrived at Olde Town, along with Molly Lionheart and Ceren Nightchant. Their feet were on cobblestone steps, and their heads came from under the candlelight of the city tunnels, and out to the sun's rays when they arrived in Olde Town. It wasn't really a town however. The place could be more compared to a small village built on a hill, and since the different areas of Olde Town were on different elevations, the street that Olde Town was built on was constructed into four levels; the highest being the entrance to Olde Town from the Shopping District, then the entrance to Cyclops Lane, then Triton Avenue, and the street ended on the lowest level, where the entrance to Firecat Alley was located. Scattered throughout the town, were small shops, such as the Crafting Shop, or the Bazaar(a popular trading/auction house), ports to different worlds, towers to archives, city guard barracks, and a few homes. The street of Olde Town was fairly populated with many people, walking around from shops and such. Not too far from the tunnel to Cyclops Lane, a bearded old wizard with purple, starry robes, was sharing words with three city guards. It was Headmaster Ambrose. People who passed by, glanced at him with attention. After all, it wasn't often for the Headmaster of the Academy of Magical Arts, to leave his office or the perimeter of Ravenwood. Scarlet and her friends met up with Ambrose in the middle of his conversation with the city guards.

"Ah, and here they are," Ambrose's beard furrowed.

"These are the kids? Aren't they only novices?" a guard in dark orange and yellow asked.

He showed bronze-colored skin and a grown black beard under his silver and gold helmet.

"There are more to come, Sergeant Muldoon," the headmaster hummed.

Molly stepped ahead of Scarlet and her friends, and Ceren followed by her side.

"Molly Lionheart, reporting for duty, along with the students from Dorm Six of the Violet Nightingale House," she announced, standing straight with her clipboard by her side.

"Thank you, Molly," Merle nodded, then he looked up to Scarlet, Adrian, Nicole, and Morgan.

The Headmaster glanced at each of the four. Scarlet was in her same wizarding gear; all red clothes with yellow, flame-like trims, a buckled wizard's hat, and elegant vest over a white blouse, and boots over trousers. Her outfit was more like a boys' Ravenwood uniform, instead of a girls' uniform, as Scarlet would rather prefer pants.

Nicole was outfitted in a necromancer's, thorny-vine-decorated, white black standards, with a hooded cleric's robe, gypsy skirt, and a buckled wizard's hat with the tippy top made long into a comical spiraled square, as well as having her wooden, spiral-topped staff in hand.

Adrian was more or less questionable in his appearance, as if he was wizard at all. He sported a formal lavender waistcoat under a black, open, double-breasted suit, with long coat tails that made it look like a trench coat. The ice wizard wore black trousers to match, with the pants tucked into his low-heeled oxford boots. To finish it off, Adrian had a top hat on his head and an icy whitish-blue tie around a stand-up collar. The thaumaturge carried no wand in his hands. Instead, his hands were always in his coat pockets, except for one holding his cane.

Morgan's attire was creamy yellow or peach, with rich blue accents. The conjurer had a cap with Myth school decorations. She wore her jester's robe under a blue cloak over the shoulder, a draped skirt, thigh-high heeled boots, and a tight, blue corset over her robes, with designs of wyverns' tails and newts' eyes.

"So!"

Scarlet stepped up to the Headmaster with crossed arms, with her hips sassed to a side, and a patient, yet animated look up to Ambrose.

"Who's going to _accompany_ us with the quest?" she asked.

Merle glanced down at Scarlet with a sparkle in his eye. "Ah yes, you… Uh…"

"Scarlet?" the fire wizard reminded him with annoyance.

"My memory of certain things tends to fade," Ambrose chuckled. "Apologies. But anyways, the fellow students that are to come will soon-"

Suddenly, the area around the Headmaster and Scarlet started to brighten, and his words were cut off as the light came between his eyes and Scarlet's. The clacking of high heels sounded against the cobblestone, and everyone turned towards the tunnel to the Shopping District. Up the elevated streets of Olde Town, stood three figures. The bright beams of light started to fade, showing it to have been reflected off the blade of a certain spearhead.

"I knew it," Scarlet gritted her teeth as she made a grin.

The short, brown hair of Ashley Breeze waved with the autumn breezes, as she stood triumphantly with her magic spear, _Kamakari_. She wore a dark green, _cheongsam_ -style top, with a tough shoulder guard on her right, and hugging trousers. The sorceror stood with Alexander Mythblade, who was clothed in his usual black cloak with a hood, and an unfamiliar person with violet hair. The figure had creamy-beige colored robes with purple accents, along with a matching color gemmed rainhat. They all stood on a small cliff that branched from the upper level of Olde Town.

"To think I'd meet you once again so soon-" Ashley spoke with an iron tongue. "- _Scarlet-san._ "

"Same to you!" Scarlet shouted back. "Ashley… _san_ , whatever that means."

Everyone on the streets of Olde Town stopped and turned up to Ashley, as well as Alexander and the other person who stood beside her. Murmurs started to spread through the streets, both voices of the young, old, and older.

"It's her…"

"And with two others of the Four!"

"The Four Elite Initiates."

Ashley's sharp ears could pick up every word from the people passing by, but the sorcerer would ignore them. She turned her blind, multi-colored eyes to where the sound of Scarlet's competent voice. To Ashley, sound gave way to her surrounding environment, and mana was visible to her. Many forms of mana were around her, each belonging to citizens and students of Wizard City.

Calmly, Ashley Breeze went ahead with her companions. She, Alex, and the other person jumped down the small cliff, and met up with Headmaster Ambrose, Molly, Ceren, Scarlet, and her friends. In front of Ashley, she saw gathering of different colored mana. Not only could Ashley see mana that belonged to people, but could also distinguish peoples' different mana signatures. They all looked like arcane, humanoid figures of energy. Normally, wizards' energies would be identifiable by their color; red for pyromancers, whitish blue for thaumaturges, green for theurgists. However, Ashley saw within Scarlet that her mana was like blazing fire. Adrian's was like a flurry of snow, surrounded by numbers, letters, and whitish-blue electricity. Morgan had a slowly pulsating orb of calm, rich blue energy, with stars and nebulas around it. Nicole's mana signature was white, which kept strobing energetically around a black core in the figure's bosom. Ceren's mana was a regular green, and Molly was a brighter green, surrounded by healthy leaves and herbs. Headmaster Ambrose's mana signature however, wasn't much. It was just a small, suppressed orb of white and purple. It was kind of surprising the first time Ashley saw this and she wondered why it was so ever since, but now wasn't the time.

Immediately when Scarlet and Ashley met, the tip of their toes met as they stared each other. Well at least Scarlet did, because you know; Ashley is blind. The pryomancer's shared Ashley's rivalric frown, switching her attention to Ashley's multi-colored eyes, and then to her olive green lipstick. The others watched with uneasiness. However, Nicole's happy-go-lucky voice went off in the background, saying;

"YOU TWO SHOULD KISS!"

Ashley's face froze in a melancholy expression, and Scarlet stepped back, showing a feeling of being weirded out. The two both cleared their throats and slanted away from eye contact, sharing blushes. Meanwhile, Alexander Mythshade approached Morgan. Nothing much could be seen under his black cloak except for his bronze skin and his shaggy cerulean hair.

"Hey, fellow conjurer," he greeted awkwardly. "Didn't expect you and your friends to be assigned to the quest."

Morgan nestled her hands together by her chest. "I'd thought I'd come to Ravenwood to just learn, but it seems I'm caught up in a wild ride. I'm glad I have Mudge by my side."

She glanced back to the hunchback demon that just now came up by her, huffing like a bull, and he squinted at Alex.

"Eheh, right…" Alexander forced a smile, with his only visible right eye showing some nervousness.

"By the way," Morgan spoke up, "Have you ever gone on a quest before?"

"Well, defines what you mean by 'quest'," Alex replied. "Like I've been on little 'adventures' before, and I've only been assigned to two other quests. Molly's been on four. Believe it or not, this is Ashley's first assigned quest, but I wouldn't be surprised if she's not been on adventures before. And Emily's been on eight assigned quests."

"Emily?" Morgan questioned. "Who is she?"

"Oh yeah, you don't know her yet," Alex chuckled. "She's one of us 'Four Elites' or whatever they like to call us. I don't feel so elite. But yeah, Emily Stormheart."

The blue-haired conjurer shrugged and moved out of the way, motioning his hands towards the unknown person with purple hair, a rain hat, and creamy beige, seers' robes. Morgan could make out that this "Emily" was a young girl, with her cheeks dappled with a few freckles. Her violet hair covered over the right of her blue eyes. A huge book was in her arms, and she was deep into it, constantly switching her attention from the pages of the book to Adrian. The ice wizard was slowly stepping back as Emily studied him.

"Uh,hello…" Adrian waved.

The thaumaturge scanned up and down her outfit. The beige robe had two large purple ribbons that started from her belt, over her shoulders, and back down into the belt. They had arcane writings on them, giving Emily Stormheart the appearance of a sage. Under her robes' skirt and flounce, are high heeled boots, with the laces crisscrossing each other. Her rain hat was creamy beige was well, with three large purple gems shaped as ovals, sewn or hewn into the taper of the rain hat.

"So who's this over-dressed goof?" Emily asked to Alex, jabbing her thumb back at Adrian and his noble Marleybonian fashion.

"Excuse me?" Adrian asked with a raised eyebrow.

"That's Adrian Kensington," Alexander explained.

"Really now?" Emily smirked.

Her eyes glided over from Adrian's oxford boots, up to the silver hair that waved over the thaumaturge's ice blue eyes.

"Doesn't look like much, other than totally handsome," Emily said in a pouty manner. "This really one of the guys who beat Ashley? The bloke's not even went through a naming ceremony, and he's put on a quest."

Alex nodded reluctantly, afraid of Ashley's sharp ears overhearing.

"Well then…" Emily smiled, turning back to gaze up to Adrian. She offered her hand in greeting. "I am Emily Teresa Stormheart, fifteen years of age, and a journeyman wizard, not to mention a warlord."

"A _warlord_?" Adrian repeated.

"The highest ranking one can achieve in the Arena," Alexander explained.

"The Arena?" Morgan questioned. "You mean the one in Unicorn Way?"

The blonde haired conjurer remembered when she first set foot in Unicorn Way with her friends. Right when they came out of the tunnel from the Commons, she saw the huge doors to the Unicorn Way Arena. By it, a grey-coated, sharp-clothed unicorn man with a white mustache stood there.

In the midst of the conversation, Nicole popped in to raise a question, "What's the Arena?"

"Glad you asked," Emily popped up by her. She raised a finger as she explained. "The Unicorn Way Arena is a place where the students of Ravenwood go to compete against each other with spells in magic duels. It's an extracurricular program here in Ravenwood, and it is quite rewarding in terms for grades and credits. The bests, such as myself, get to move on to Spiral-wide competitions when the times present itself."

"Did I mention the Arena is full of Green House show-offs?" Alex poked next to her side.

"Or you could shut up," Emily scorned. "Just like you should always do around me."

"Beg to differ," the elite conjurer mumbled.

"Green House…" Adrian repeated. "I wonder what house Penny is in…"

He then remembered about Penny's enrollment, and glanced to Scarlet. She caught onto her icy friend's idea and left Ashley's presence, approaching Headmaster Ambrose.

"Hey, old man!" she called out.

"Hmm? Yes, Scarlet?" he raised a furry white eyebrow.

"Uuuh yeah, there's this girl: Penny," the pyromancer started. "She's gotten her enrollment on the fritz and she asked us to ask you what is going on."

"Yeah," Adrian stepped forward. "Her name is Penny Amelia Dreadful."

"Dreadful!" Ambrose smiled. "I see Charlie and Heather sent their child as promised. Well about Penny's enrollment…"

The Headmaster gazed away into the clouds on Olde Town's skylines.

"Yes yes, her registration papers must've been mixed up in my office."

Scarlet made a small laugh. "Good like finding that needle in the haystack."

The fire wizard remembered how cluttered his office was. It was like stacks of paper, made into mini-mountains. The only things of different colors were his potted plants, purple wallpaper, red cushioned chairs, and his mahogany desks.

"Yes yes, dear," Ambrose chuckled. "I will have a bit of a time trying to find Dreadful's papers. Are you and Adrian friends with the Dreadfuls' daughter?"

"I only just met her," Scarlet said. "Adrie here is her fiancé."

"That 'fiancé' stuff means we're gonna get married, is it not?" Adrian asked. "I forget."

"Ha ha ha," Ambrose laughed. "I remember when Charlie Dreadful came to Ravenwood with Heather. They were arranged together in marriage as well. They did not quite mix together at first. They always had something conflicting to say to each other. I have a feeling it will be the same situation today."

Scarlet snorted. "I'm guessing it _will_ be a difficult mix, that Penny girl and Adrian. One is a cheeky little pipsqueak, and the other is just plain dumb."

"Hey! Don't call Penny dumb, and I'm not short!" Adrian exclaimed with a blush.

"I didn't call you short," Scarlet moaned. "You're the one that is dumb, not Penny."

"Oh okay, that makes sense," Adrian nodded. "Wait, hold on a minute!"

"Point proven," Scarlet smirked to Ambrose as she jabbed a thumb at Adrian.

The thaumaturge pouted towards Scarlet, and she smiled back, while Ambrose watched the fiasco, chuckling about.

"By the way," Scarlet started, "What are we waiting around for?"

"Ah yes," The headmaster nodded. "We are waiting for the last group to arrive."

"We are that last group," a young lady with wavy brown hair said.

"Ah yes, okay," Ambrose nodded to the new person, and then turned his attention back to Scarlet and Adrian.

The Headmaster suddenly realized one the people from the "last group" has arrived, somehow having had sneaked up by him.

Scarlet jumped back. "Whoa, when did that girl arrive?"

"While you three were talking," the caramel-haired girl said.

Her looks were of a thaumaturge; an ice wizard. She had sky blue clerics' robes with ice school designs. Under the robes, was some kind of plated armor. Only the right side of its shoulder piece stuck out of her robes. She held a standard wand with an ice crystal that hung off the tip of the wand by a string of small chain links. On her back, was a spear, or what looked like one. It was like spear, with cloth weaved around the head, and was made into a magical staff instead. Scarlet took a closer look at the unfamiliar thaumaturge. She had moles under each of her green eyes.

Two other people were with the girl.

"Well, now that everybody is here," Ambrose summed up, "May I have everyone gather in front of me?"

Everyone stopped their conversations, and then did as Headmaster Ambrose instructed, scrambling to get into their groups. Only Ashley and the wavy caramel-haired girl remained. All of them waited until everything was over, and then got with their groups. Naturally, Scarlet, Adrian, Morgan, Nicole, and Mudge were in one group, the Four Elite Initiates in another, and the last group of three. Only Ceren was left, standing with the Headmaster and the guard, Sergeant Muldoon.

"Good good," Ambrose mumbled while stroking his white beard.

The monocle-wearing wizard turned to the bronze-skinned guard, Sergeant Muldoon.

"Is this sufficient, Sergeant?" he asked.

The sergeant frowned and leaned into Merle. "Are we sure we can trust that… that demon?"

Muldoon squinted towards Mudge, who was trying to touch a passing butterfly with his finger.

"It seems to be a companion of one of the students," Ambrose explained. "I am sure all will be fine."

"If you say so," Muldoon gruffed.

"Good," Merle smiled.

The Headmaster raised his chin to the three groups of students, and the occasional hunchback demon.

"I am sure you all aware of why I have called you young wizards here," the old man started. "Rumors float around of trouble among the Three Streets of Olde Town. I will leave it to Sergeant Muldoon to assess the situations. However, I first must organize you students into your designated groups."

"This feels an awful lot like a military operation, innit?" Nicole whispered to Scarlet, and she nodded in response.

"Pretty much like it," the pyromancer shrugged.

"Group one!" Ambrose announced. "Nicole Soulthief, Alexander Mythblade, Morgan Mistblade, and Kiera Rubybreaker."

At the sound of the announcement, Nicole immediately grabbed hold of Morgan's shoulder and Alex's black cloak, pulling the two into a big, big hug.

"Hey! We're together!" the necromancer giggled in excitement.

"Yes, I can see that," Morgan forced a chuckle.

"You're pulling a bit hard!" Alex tried to warn, but blushed as his head was then pulled into Morgan's chest.

Alexander's arms scrambled around in the air, trying to push everybody away, but Morgan and Nicole didn't seem to notice. Meanwhile, Mudge approached the three.

"It seems Nicole always seems to be a handful," the hunchback commented.

"That's what I am!" Nicole grinned, and then let everyone go.

Morgan stumbled for a bit, but was still on her feet, while Alex found himself kissing the cobblestone ground.

"Saaaaaay," Nicole sounded. "Who's this Kiera Rubybreaker?"

"I am that person," a wellborn voice sounded.

It was the thaumaturge girl from before, the one with wavy, caramel hair, and the wrapped-up spear on her back. Her expression was comparable to Ashley's; stern, cold, and serious.

"Eeeh, I don't like the feeling of this girl," Nicole muttered to Morgan.

The sudden voice of Kiera threw Nicole into surprise as the thaumaturge came up to their side.

"Yes, I do tend to get that impression a lot," she murmured. "But alas, I do have to _introduce_ myself, should I not?"

Her green eyes switched between the soft-looking Morgan, the hunchback demon Mudge, the childish, yet hyper Nicole, and Alexander, who was still on the floor, with a raging blush on his face.

 _The worst of luck has come of me,_ Kiera thought to herself.

 _At least there is one or two that can keep their composures,_ she thought as she glanced between Mudge and Morgan.

Morgan seemed fragile and soft, but could probably keep her composition, while the gorilla-like demon was the one who Kiera was sure about being able to do the quest.

"Anyways, I am Kiera Rubybreaker, sixteen years of age, and I am an adept wizard from the Ice School," she introduced herself. "And I do hope we can work together…"

Meanwhile, Ambrose announced the second team.

"Scarlet Night."

The pyromancer's brows furrowed at the sound of her name.

"Molly Lionheart."

The theurgist turned her head to Scarlet.

"It seems we will be working together, Scarlet," Molly smiled to the pyromancer.

However, the fire wizard didn't keep her attention on Molly for long, as she turned back to the Headmaster for who was going to be called next.

Ambrose looked among the crush of students, and a sparkle twinkled in his eyes.

"And… Ashley Breeze."

Scarlet's intense focus on Ambrose was dropped as she turned her stare to Ashley.

"I knew it," Scarlet grinned.

The clatter of Ashley's high-heeled combat boots against the cobblestone sounded as she approached between Molly and Scarlet. Though her blind eyes stared off past Scarlet and towards the Bazaar, the tension was still there. Time seemed to slow down. The breezes reduced the flailing of Scarlet's blonde hair into a slow fluttering, like seaweed in the ocean. Her amber eyes locked onto Ashley. Her right eye seemed to twitch in anticipation. Molly remained calm, trying to figure out how to become a medium for the apparent newly found rivalry between Ashley and Scarlet. Even so, the theurgist sighed, and turned back to the Headmaster as he announced the third group.

For the final group, Ambrose announced for;

"Emily Stormheart!"

The diviner's ear itched at the sound of her name, and she grinned as she hauled her large grimoire onto her shoulder.

"Adrian Kensington!"

The thaumaturge let a sigh out of his nose. He straightened his back, and dug the end of his regal walking cane into the ground, tipping his top hat to avoid Emily's observant glares. He's had enough of that diviner's nosiness and rude remarks for one day.

"Cori Stormcaster!"

A young girl, of adolescent age probably. Her green eyes peered through the locks of her dark brown curly hair, towards Adrian and Emily. Her steps were shy and timid when she approached them, but what she wore probably says the opposite of her first impression. She had a Whimsical Coat variant of Ravenwood's uniforms, but it had some violet-rimmed armor modifications to it. Plus, her boots look like it belonged to a knight's or a barbarian's.

"And Shui-Lei Stormflower."

The last of the three from Kiera's group stammered and stood up straight. She had a Cardinal's Uniform variant of Ravenwood's outfit, but it was made strikingly similar to a lab coat. She wore a knee-long miniskirt, knee socks, and laced boots, and all of the clothes were white, with purple and golden lightning designs. The girl face was of oriental origin, her jet black hair was made into two long braided pigtails, and large glasses rested in front of her brown eyes. To sum it up, it was a docile girl with glasses from Mooshu, who looked like she was a part of some intensive clockwork design team.

Shui-Lei trotted up to Cori's side nonetheless. Adrian was hoping he would be with someone he knew, but he was now in a group with one ice wizard and three storm wizards, all of the students of Divination being girls, and strangers. He pondered about the Headmaster's decisions, until a squeaky voice spoke up.

"Ow, ow ow ow!" Cori whined as her ear was tugged by Emily.

"Now what did I say?" Emily nagged. "Why'd you bring your armored robes?"

"But they look cool, Emileeeee!" Cori said back.

"Are you two familiar with each other?" Adrian tilted his head.

"She's my apprentice," Emily said plainly. "Wee lil' scrunt. Now Cori, introduce yourself to Mister Adrian."

"I'm not a little kid, you ass," Cori grunted.

The little girl then turned her attention up to the nobly-dressed ice wizard.

"So you're one of the guys who beat Ashley!" the young diviner said.

"I wouldn't say beat. It was more like a tie," Adrian admitted.

"Well I-I'm Cori Stormcaster. I'm thirteen, and a journeyman diviner!" she introduced herself.

Adrian took a look at her armorized robes. "I've been meaning to ask. Why do you don armor? As well as your friend, Kiera?"

"I don't know Kiera much. She's just in my unit," Cori squeaked. "But we're both from Grizzleheim."

"What's a unit?" Adrian asked, and then turned to Emily.

"Well you see in Ravenwood, how there's usually at least four students hanging out?" Emily asked.

Memories of the Shopping District and the Commons popped up in Adrian's mind. He indeed recalled seeing groups of students, usually in four, five, or eight. Some didn't appear to be of the same age either. Some would be of nine years of age, while their friend would appear to be eighteen.

"Well Headmaster Ambrose usually assigns students to a small group of other students," Emily started. "They're supposed to learn and stick together throughout their entire life in Ravenwood. Usually, they would be of the same year-grade. You know, like a third-year with another third-year. They would also tend to be from the same student houses."

"Like I'm from the Blue Pegasi!" Cori pointed out. "So is Shuie!"

The petite diviner threw both of her hands at Shui-Lei to display her.

"Shuie?" Adrian questioned as he glanced at Shui-Lei. "That's funny. I have a similar nickname; Adrie."

Shui-Lei's braided pig-tails seemed to jolt at the sound of Adrian calling her by her nickname. She was already blushing madly to start with anyways. Quietly, she leaned into the shorter Cori's ears.

"Who is that girl? She looks pretty…" Shui-Lei muttered to her friend. "Very very pretty."

"That's Adrian, like the one who was put in the Girls' Dorms," Cori explained. "Plus, _he's_ a guy."

"What?" Shui-Lei switched her widened eyes from Cori to Adrian, back and forth, messing up her glasses' calibration on her face. "Even better…"

The lab-coated diviner girl muttered something to herself in Mooshuan: "He called me Shuie!"

While Shui-Lei began to squirm around and fantasize, Adrian slid up to Emily's side.

"Will she be okay?" Adrian questioned.

"Eeeh, never seen her like that," Emily said. "Didn't seem to catch what she and Cori said."

Adrian raised a brow. "Why is her face red?"

Emily shrugs. "I don't know. I'm colorblind."

"I thought girls couldn't be colorblind…"

"And they said girls couldn't outbuy everyone else on the Bazaar for sunstone."

"Wait, what?"

"All the sunstone is mine," Emily said with conviction.

"I…"

Adrian was now convinced that all storm wizards had some kind of problem with them, like mental static.

After discussing about something with Merle Ambrose, Sergeant Muldoon gave him a small nod and called for attention. Everyone gave him a look, and then proceeded with his order.

"Group two," the city guard barked. "Please come."

Scarlet and Molly glanced at each other, and went along with Muldoon. Ashley calmly went with the two, keeping her sophisticated stature and face. The three followed the city guard towards the tunnel to Cyclops Lane. The cobblestone leading up to the tunnel entrance started to turn white like marble and yellow like rough corn. The tunnel entrance itself was blocked, having a gate with black iron bars on it.

"Now, I will assess the quest," the sergeant said.

He turned his dark brown eyes to Molly, Scarlet, and Ashley. Under his beard, the sergeant wetted his lips in preparation to speak.

"Now listen up. There's a kid on Cyclops Lane named Nolan Stormgate. A journeyman wizard. He's dealing with the giants there and has been asking us to send somebody."

"Giants?" Scarlet asked. Not out of fear, but out of intrigue. "And why's the street called 'cyclops'?"

"Have you not heard in the slightest about cyclopes?" Ashley asked.

"Not where I came from," Scarlet whistled.

"You've ought to pay attention to your monster classes more often, pyromancer," Ashley said, as she frowned a bit.

"They are large people," Molly started to explain. "They have one eye, and are quite strong, muscular, stuff like that. They say there are cyclopes who are completely immune to fire."

Instead of showing distraught, Scarlet only sadness. She missed how having a greatsword could solve all her problems. In this case, fireproof one-eyed giant men.

"But the ones in Wizard City aren't immune to fire?" Scarlet asked for confirmation.

"Precisely," Molly nodded.

Sergeant Muldoon gazed upon the three students, trying to amount their ability.

"I know you wizards' names have been around Ravenwood as of recently," the guard said. "So show me you kids have what it takes."

The yellow and orange armored city guard took his spear and approached the closed gate to Cyclops Lane. Just like the gate to Unicorn Way, the guard inserted the tip of his spear into a slot on the left of the tunnel gate. He twisted the pole, and the iron bars of the tunnel entrance lifted up. As they rose, dirt and soil was crusted around the spikes, located at the bottom of the gate, eroding off as the gate was closer to being fully opened. Muldoon pulled out his spear and directed his eyes on Scarlet, Molly, and Ashley once more.

"From now on, you kids will have to find your way to the Festival Grounds. That is where the Nolan Stormgate kid agreed to meet up in," the guard further directed. "Not to mention, it'll be the safest place to be. Three guards are stationed there, along with the wizard: Nolan, and a civilian who can help with equipment."

"Wait hold on," Scarlet said, stepping forward and putting her palm towards Sergeant Muldoon. "Only three guards positioned there? How many guards are there on Cyclops Lane overall?"

"Uh…"

Muldoon raised a brow at Scarlet.

"Three," he answered.

"You seriously going to position only _three?_ " Scarlet scoffed. "With all the 'giants' or whatever you call them, on the streets? You've a civilian there, for the king's sake. We wouldn't be sent to Cyclops Lane if you positioned more guards there to ward the giants back."

"That is the point," Muldoon grumbled. "We are guards, not soldiers. We expertise in defense, not initiating an offense against threats."

The guard frowned, closing his eyes on Scarlet. "And what do you know about military techniques?"

"Huh?" Scarlet stammered. "Well, I fought in a war once when I was thirteen. I learned some stuff. T'was fun!"

Muldoon suddenly lost his scolding eyes, trying to process what Scarlet had just said.

"Enough with your joking. You were probably into some boardgame," the guard assumed.

"No, I'm serious. I like friggin' took down a commanding knight in the middle of a bunch of Froudlings," Scarlet urged on.

"Enough with your prattle," Muldoon ordered.

"Fine!" Scarlet huffed, and then crossed her arms. "Ask King Artorius. He himself put me through some Recognition of Honor ceremony."

"What?" Muldoon had a severely confused look. "King Artorius is long dead. He is only a story in the books."

"What do you mean, 'long dead?' The king just only died a few months ago," Scarlet said, with a questioning set of eye brows.

"I think it is time for us to go," Ashley said, putting a hand on Scarlet shoulder. "We cannot waste time discussing things about a ruined king."

Scarlet's eyes widened. "Wait, hold on. Why is everyone saying Artorius died a long-"

"You speak as if you knew him personally," Muldoon scorned. "Enough."

"Come on," Molly's gentle voice breezed. "We've more _giant_ problems to deal with."

"I'm surrounded by horrid puns," Scarlet said.

The theurgist smirked. Ashley let go of Scarlet's shoulder, and then the three turned to the entrance to Cyclops Lane.

"For this quest, I shall be the leader," Ashley said.

"Why you?" Scarlet asked accusingly.

"Is there…" Ashley's strange, blinded eyes turned towards Scarlet. "A problem?"

Scarlet shook her head, taking up to Ashley's challenging tone. "No. I have no probs with being led. I'm just wondering if you're the gal for the job."

"She is more than sufficient for the role," Molly said. "I entrust Ashley with leading us."

"Good," Scarlet said. "Cuz' I don't know where to start, other than going to the Nolan kid."

"Enough," Ashley said. " _Jikan o muda ni suru koto wa dekimasen._ Time cannot be wasted any further."

Scarlet sighed, and nodded along. "Let's get going then."

The pyromancer, sorcerer, and theurgist turned their eyes to into the tunnel to Cyclops lane. Ashley and Molly's high heeled boots clattered on the cobblestone, while Scarlet's red, fire-sewn boots dug into the ground, as they headed into the darkness of the tunnel, only being illuminated by oil lamps.

"I wish you kids good luck," Sergeant Muldoon's voice sounded.

"Thank you, sir," the three wizards said in unison.

Then Scarlet and Ashley continued on, "I won't need it."

The two then shared glances, and smirks as well. With confidence, the young wizards disappeared into the tunnel to Cyclops Lane.

However, Scarlet's mind still kept on one thought.

_Why'd they call old man Artorius a ruined king?_


	20. A Giant Problem

Yellow and white bricks were laden on the wide streets of Cyclops Lane. It was just like Unicorn Way, but the houses of the street were of white stone and yellow shingles. It was like a street dedicated to the School of Myth, or from what Scarlet Night could tell. In the distance, she could see a mountainside that broke into the Cyclops Lane area like someone put a giant rock smack-dab in the middle of Wizard City. By the looks of it, the mountain was probably hallow in some areas, because Scarlet spotted a cave entrance that connected conveniently to the streets of Cyclops Lane. Other than the white and yellow streets and sidewalks, Cyclops Lane had islands of grass in the middle of the street's three-way intersections, and many cypress trees planted neatly and with wisdom on the green grass laden with red, yellow, and brown leaves from other trees. The cypress trees looked like pillars of conifer needles swept upwards that stood on a wooden stump. Though it was autumn, summer still shined on Cyclops Lane, compared to the other parts of Wizard City. The only parts that didn't make it summer were of course; the falling leaves that swept around in the winds in front of Scarlet Night, who a wand in her sleeve, standing with her new questmates; Molly Lionheart, the nurse theurgist with a wooden staff slung on her back, and Ashley Breeze, the blind sorcerer with a fancy magic spear. But other than that, sure, Cyclops Lane is a pretty great place to kick back to enjoy the clouds, but Scarlet, Molly, and Ashley was there for a reason. A wizard by the name of Nolan Stormgate requested help from other student wizards with an undiscussed problem on the yellow and white street. Right when the three wizards came out of the tunnel that connected Cyclops Lane to Olde Town, they found trolls lumbering around with large wooden clubs.

"I have a hunch they _might_ be unfriendly," Scarlet assumed.

"Unfriendly seems too light of an adjective, Miss Night," Molly said with crossed arms, observing the trolls.

"What are you talking about?" Ashley asked. "I sense that these creatures are of Myth magic, but they stink of garlic."

"Garlic?" Scarlet repeated. "I don't smell anything. You must have a strong nose, Ashe."

Ashley retorted at the sound of her new nickname. "My other senses have heightened ever since I lost my vision, especially my hearing and smelling."

"They are trolls," Molly informed for Ashley.

"I've seen trolls before," Scarlet commented. "But that was when I was younger. No one messed with them. I bet they're weak, compared to me now that I've grew up. They're like overgrown Froudlings."

"It would be best if we avoided fights as much as possible," Ashley advised.

"What, are you too chicken?" Scarlet taunted, making a smirk towards Ashley.

"We must conserve as much energy for any further battles," the sorcerer explained. "As we play with probabilities, even the cyclopes may be behind whatever problem is presented before us."

With her competitive edge made blunt by Ashley, Scarlet retorted and asking something else.

"By the way, why are there trolls and cyclopes here?"

"Do you know the professor of the Myth School?" Molly asked, "Cyrus Drake?"

"Erm… Think so," the fire wizard shrugged.

"Well he summoned these trolls to deal with the problems in Cyclops Lane," the theurgist explained.

"Well, it doesn't seem to be helping," Scarlet grumbled. "What about the cyclopes?"

"They've always been here since Wizard City had been established," Molly said further on. "Most here are descendants of cyclops immigrants from Aquila, who came for jobs to be guards in Cyclops Lane, keeping the 'feral' undead in the Dark Cave, not letting any get out."

"The Dark Cave?" Scarlet wondered.

The fire wizard then pointed to the cave in the mountainside that broke into the limits of Cyclops Lane.

"Is that it?" she asked.

Molly nodded. "Normally, Ravenwood lets undead monsters and creatures run around the Death School and certain areas, for training of course. Naturally, the 'feral' undead makes their 'spawning grounds' in the Dark Cave. No one knows why the undead appears there. Only wizards who have learned four milestone attack spells can enter with permission. It is a known law that the cave is off-bounds for inexperienced and… power-insufficient wizards."

"You mean weak wizzies?" Scarlet asked.

"Well you can never be too considerate," Molly smiled innocently.

"And what did you mean about… 'Milestone' attack spells?'"

Molly answered Scarlet's question like she had expertise in the area. "Ah well, as students of Ravenwood progress in their years of study, they get chances to learn powerful spells that proves their power, and graduate them out of their grade levels."

Molly glanced down at Scarlet's wand-less hands. "For example, you've already learned the Fire Elf spell, and you're eligible to be an apprentice pyromancer. Then you'll move on to the Sunbird spell, then Meteor Strike, then the Phoenix spell. All of them are quite powerful and destructive, but very hard to learn and attain."

Scarlet's interest into Molly's words grew even more at the word: Phoenix.

"So what if I was to say that I summoned a phoenix with the help of four other friends?" Scarlet questioned. "All of different magic schools I might add."

Molly raised an eyebrow. "It would be hard to believe you accomplished such a thing as you are a novice. How did you do it?"

"With a…" Scarlet tried to recall when they destroyed the skeleton, Rattlebones, with a phoenix. "It was like a chalk circle, and five people on different spots of the circle."

"That is the practice of olden witches," Ashley bumped in. "A forbidden practice. Summoning such a creature with a magic circle would've ended up in you being killed because you couldn't control the phoenix."

"And that is why we wizards today make 'contracts' with magical creatures in case we ever need their help," Molly added. "How did you even manage to know of summoning circles?"

"And yet this is your first year," Ashley said. "And this is only the first quarter of the school year."

"Well…" Scarlet kept silent.

Sure, she was the one who cast the Phoenix spell back when she and her friends were battling against Rattlebones. But it was because Adrian came up with the idea. He knew how to draw the complete magic circle, with all the lines and shapes. He only needed Scarlet to make the fire rune and cast the spell, and the others to supply mana for the spell. She felt most of the credit was meant for Adrian, that her own power could only be completed with… Adrian.

 _Forget it,_ she thought. _I'll just have to grow stronger than that snowball. I don't need him._

Scarlet shrugged. "The reason for doing it was either we won the battle, or we died trying."

Ashley thought about it, but didn't ponder about it much longer as the sorcerer stepped forward in the direction of the distant Dark Cave entrance.

"That place reeks of undead energies," Ashley commented. "We shouldn't waste any time here. Let us move to the Festival Grounds."

Molly nodded, and went ahead with Ashley, while Scarlet followed with a tilted head. As they walked along on the left side of the wide street, the trolls watched them pass by. Their eyes squinted onto the girls, and pounded their clubs into the ground. Scarlet was ready to let her wand drop out of her sleeve and into her hand, but Scarlet and Molly kept walking by with relaxed steps. The trolls didn't seem to want to try to attack the wizards either. It was a feeling of intensity in the air, and Scarlet was unsure of anything. Instead, she rolled her eyes at the trolls and kept ambling along the sidewalk.

As the three went on, they (except for Ashley) could see the green of the Festival Grounds. It was a small park that was put in the middle of Cyclops Lane. When the trio began to near the park, on their right, was a large artificial pond, which was in between the Festival Grounds and the walls that sectioned every major, winding street of Wizard City. From the pond, were two narrow rivers that cut around the Festival Grounds, and flowed towards the other end of the park. The park had many colorful tents as well. At that end of the Festival Grounds, the park broke off into floating piece of land, held in close to bay by the natural magic of Wizard City. It was literally the edge of this world. The small rivers from the pond streamed off the edge of Cyclops Lane. Basically: off the edge of Wizard City. Scarlet questioned if that was even safe. Molly smirked and assured that if anyone ever did fall off, there was some way to save them.

All Scarlet knew that was that if you ever fell off a world of the Spiral, you would be in for the longest skydive of your life, taking like at least three hours of freefalling. As you descended, the "sky" would be around of you, below you, and a rush of limestone, dirt, and bedrock above you. You would be literally falling down, with the layers of world passing by your side. Only then would you be consumed by the blazing, grinding ball of magma, melted stone, and other fun stuff found below the world. The plus side was that you could see both night and day on your left and right if you fell off certain sides of the world. Some worlds would consist entirely of rock and dirt, but Wizard City wasn't the case.

Molly, Ashley, and Scarlet neared the beginning of the path to the Festival Grounds, but a guard clothed in green, red, with the emblem of Wizard City on his chest, stood in the way. He was on his post, back straight with his spear, and looked down to the three wizards.

"I thought no students were allowed on Cyclops Lane," he grumbled.

Ashley stepped forward, raising a letter with the Headmaster's seal on it.

"We have papers of admittance," the sorcerer said back with a similar tone.

The guard didn't even take a second look at the letter, and his voice lightened up to a normal citizen's voice. "The Headmaster of Ravenwood seems willing to send anybody to solve Wizard City's problems."

"Why is the Festival Grounds the only place being guarded?" Ashley questioned.

The guard blinked, and started to explain. "Our forces have been pushed back into a limbo by the trolls and cyclopes. This is the only safe place."

"I see," Ashley mused. "Is a wizard by the name of Nolan Stormgate here?"

"Oh, that kid?" the guard asked for confirmation. "He's off on his own in the roundabout of the Festival Grounds."

"Thank you," the sorcerer nodded.

She then turned to Molly and Scarlet, gesturing for them to come along, or at least tried to, as Ashley was slightly angled off from their positions. The guard stepped aside, showing the way to a short bridge that crossed over one of the small rivers that isolated the Festival Grounds from the rest of Cyclops Lane. As the three went about the short bridge, Scarlet leaned over to see cat tails growing on the banks of the small river. Strange fish were in the waters. Some looked practically like wooden dummies of fish. One fish was even clothed in a tuxedo with a top hat. All the other fish seemed normal, for magical fish at least.

 _Wizard City is a weird place,_ Scarlet thought. _Then again, the juggernaut fish_ _back in Avalon wore their own little steel armors and helms, with lances in one of their fins._

For it to be called the Festival Grounds, it wasn't very populated. Sure, the place had banners flying and colorful tents set up, but it was like walking in a ghost town. When they reached the center of the area, where all the stalls, tents, and platforms circled around, only two people were there. A guard, who had the appearance of commanding personnel, was standing by the entrance of a gypsy's tent that was probably made into an armory, since weapon racks were assorted around the entrance. And then there was a teenager on a wooden platform under a colorful tarp roof. He wore a blue and yellow hooded wizard's garment, with a silver-forged staff that had a claw on top, holding a blue glass orb. He didn't seem like he was busy. Instead, the conjurer was lying on his back, playing with a cattail in his mouth. Real dutiful indeed…

"Conjurer, stand to attention," Ashely ordered.

The myth wizard spat out the cattail and fell off the wooden platform he was laying on, finding himself with a cheek kissing the ground.

"H-Hey, man," he stammered, trying to get up. "That ain't cool-"

He glanced up to take sight of three girls, a stern-looking Mooshuan with black hair, a beautiful princess with chocolaty hair, and a blonde who looks like she would punch anybody in the face, regardless if they're even a living thing.

The conjurer smirked. "They'd be sendin' fellow students, but who knew they would send three ladies?"

He got up on his feet. "Not to mention, two of 'em are of the Four Elite Initiates."

The myth wizard coined a smirk at Ashley, only to be met with a kick in the crotch.

"Know your place, mythical peasant," Ashley scorned.

Scarlet flinched at the crushing impact, while Molly's face barely moved an inch.

"You know this guy?" Scarlet asked. "Is this Nolan Stormgate?"

"He is the person," Ashley replied, looking back to Scarlet after punching Nolan repeatedly in the face as he was locked into her arm. "I pretend not to know this conjurer."

Scarlet cringed at the bruising hits. "What's not to like about him?"

Ashley let Nolan out of her arm to land on the cobblestone. "He is one of the many peeping toms of this school, or something of similar nature."

"Wait, hold on," Scarlet stepped forward. " _Many?_ What do you mean, _many-_ "

"Now now, whaddya mean I'm a peeper?" Nolan asked with a bruised smirk as he got up onto his feet.

"What were you doing in Cynthia Sandpetal's laundry two days ago?" Ashley questioned.

"Uh… Is that a rhetorical question?" Nolan asked blatantly. "I swear I was doing it for her."

"While you were sitting _in_ the basket?" Ashley brought up.

"It was warm," he replied right off the bat, like he was experienced at lying.

"Those clothes didn't look washed the time I saw them," the sorcerer narrowed her eyes.

"That's cuz I didn't fold 'em."

"Why would Cynthia ask you to do such a thing in the first place?"

"Everyone does," Nolan shrugged. "My dorm is so close to the laundry room."

At this point, Scarlet couldn't even tell if Nolan Stormgate was lying or not. His tone sounded innocent, and his replies were right off the tongue. That, or he _really_ spent all of his life practicing lying, because Scarlet could definitely smell a pervert when she saw one. Why? Scarlet shook the thought off, and then found Nolan's sharp cobalt eyes staring at her.

"What?" Scarlet retorted.

"What's a novice doing here?" Nolan asked. "Only talented wizards like me should out on these dangerous streets!"

He coined a proud chest, and an annoying smirk that made Scarlet want to punch him, but the pyromancer managed to hold back her fiery twitch.

"I am plenty capable of kicking ass, thank you very much," Scarlet frowned back with indignance. "How could you tell I'm a novice anyways?"

Nolan cracked another smirk and exhaled deeply through his nose.

"I can always smell the fragrance of freshly plucked new girls that come into Ravenwood Academy. It's like the scent of freshly dried panties!"

A sudden urge to bludgeon Nolan sparked in Scarlet, and she stepped forward, only to be held back by Ashley's hand.

"Don't," she muttered into Scarlet's ear. "You'll only make it satisfying for him."

Scarlet looked to Ashley's multi-colored eyes, then back to a snickering Nolan.

"Gah," Scarlet snarled. "Soon."

"Heh," Nolan sounded.

"Is this how he treats all girls?" Scarlet asked. "Disgusting."

"You'll get used to it eventually," Molly said calmly. "He's like a trainer for us girls to prepare for same-case men in the future."

"Wow, I never thought of myself like that," Nolan smiled, curling his thumb and index finger around this chin as he thought. "Maybe I am a positive influence."

"Eheh," Molly chuckled. "Don't push it."

Scarlet could sense a tiny shred of hostility from Molly. Though it was small, it was terrifying enough. Though Molly seemed like a delicate, pleasant smelling flower, Scarlet felt she could make someone wither to a husk with a snap of the fingers if she was ever to be irked. Nolan let out a silent laugh, and then raised his brows at the three girls.

"You think you guys got what it takes?" he said, trying to pry into the girls' inner fears. "This place needs real heroes. We'll see if you guys'll make the grade."

"Is this a test of strength?" Ashley asked.

"Something like that," Nolan muttered, looking to the crystal blue ball of his staff. "But yeah, let's see how useful you guys are. I don't care if you're novices or some elite initiate whatever. Professor Drake put me in charge of a very important mission. Some magical artifacts from the old Death School have resurfaced."

He then turned his taunting look to the three wizards in front of him.

"I've decided you're going to recover the one inside of the _spooky_ Dark Cave."

As he said "spooky," he dragged it out to sound like a ghost.

"The Dark Cave?" Ashley asked. "You know that place is plenty dangerous, filled with undead. Do you even know the contents of that place? You describe it as to be some scary fairy tale."

"Well I had to lighten the mood somehow," Nolan shrugged. "Every other student I've asked has been too afraid to go, so I'm hoping better from you girls. Battle everything until you find a runed skull."

"What, just go in there and blast some undead, and find the piece of crap?" Scarlet asked. "Seems easy enough."

"Must I remind you," Ashley said. "The undead are a dangerous sort. You must be careful of their numbers."

"Plus, they inflict you with necrovulnus," Molly added. "One hit and you'll end up in my office."

"I'd like to end up in your office any day," Nolan approached Molly with a grin.

"Yes yes, I'm sure the operating table is a pleasant place for you to rest on," Molly answered back patiently.

When you're dealing with someone like Molly, no matter how softly she puts it, you're in for some sass pounding if you ever step on the wrong foot.

"Why do we even have to do this little 'trial' anyways?" Scarlet complained. "We can just go and investigate."

"Hey now, little dearie," Nolan interrupted. "These are trolls and _cyclopes_. They have intelligence, unlike most monsters. To an extent at least."

"So what?" Scarlet blew through her lips making a blubbering sound. "Nothing a little fire can't fix."

"Well, yes. You're lucky these cyclopes aren't the fire-immune ones, but I want to know if you lovely ladies can handle the job. That's all."

"Dude," Scarlet said. "I can take 'em."

The expression in Nolan's face changed from flirtatious to a somewhat more on-point tone.

"For once, I am going to be serious here," Nolan grimaced. "I _need_ to know if you guys are powerful enough. I can't have students dying on me. This is a matter where recklessness is not warranted."

Scarlet's amber eyes took in the full view of Nolan trying to press in the tensity of the matter, and the pyromancer sighed.

"Fine, I'll do it," she mumbled.

" _We'll_ do it," Ashley corrected as she stepped forward.

"What she said," Scarlet went along.

Nolan leaned back, relaxing on one leg as he stood with crossed arms.

"Now, I don't remember even introducing ourselves."

The hooded conjurer raised a hand towards Scarlet.

"I'm Nolan Stormgate, adept conjurer, initiate diviner, for this school year. Native to Wizard City."

Her amber eyes turned darker into a light brown as Scarlet eyed Nolan's mischievous face, then to his smooth, youthful hands, then back. With that, she hesitantly took the handshake.

"Scarlet Night; novice pyromancer, Avalonian, and self-proclaimed professional ass-kicker…"

She traced a finger down Nolan's chest.

"…of people like you."

Scarlet then frowned as she pushed Nolan off the forehead.

"Ooh, feisty," the conjurer taunted. Nolan turned to Ashley and Molly. "Well, I already know of you two ladies. 'Specially you, Ashley."

"Yeah well, is that not fortunate," Ashley mumbled.

Still not forgetting about Nolan's obnoxious flirting, Molly turned a sniping eye to him.

"So what will _you_ do, if you're not proving your magical strength in the Dark Cave?" Molly smirked.

"I… uh…" Nolan scratched his cheek. "I've got other things needing taken care of."

"Ah yes," Ashley recalled. "Like sucking on the broken end of a cattail."

"Well, the Headmaster wouldn't have assigned me this quest if I wasn't strong enough," Nolan boasted.

"I think he looked more towards your wits, rather than your magical ability," Ashley hummed as she turned to go back from the way she came from. "Mythical peasant..."'

Scarlet paused and her eyes followed Ashley.

"H-Hey, you're going for that Dark Cave already?"

"Is there an inconvenience?" the Mooshuan girl called back.

"Nope!" Scarlet replied, and then stretched her arms up. "Didn't expect everything to be so on-point."

The three crossed the short bridge, and returned onto the street of Cyclops Lane, towards where they came from.

"Well life is like that," Ashley said nonchalantly, as Scarlet caught up to her.

"Yeahno. I'm more on-point when it comes to dancing with swords and fire," Scarlet grinned. "Or at least when I'm in charge of whatever's going on, not when I'm taking orders."

"In this world, the independent ones shine."

Scarlet put her lips out and murmured in a childish manner.

"Well, is there ain't room for some friends?"

Ashley blinked at the word, "friend," and sighed.

"You know, she's right," Molly giggled as the theurgist bent forward close to Ashley's waist to look up to her. "Friends are great."

Ashley's eyes widened a bit at the surprised Molly from below, and her lip curled up one side her cheek; a one-sided smile.

"Let me rephrase that," Ashley chuckled. "The ones who know what to do and can decide for themselves, will shine in the world."

Suddenly, Scarlet also bent forward to goggle at Ashley, puckering and pouting a smile out like she was about to snicker.

"What?" Ashely asked.

"Oh nothing," Scarlet said, barely containing snickers through her teeth. "It's just that I saw you manage a smile."

Ashley retorted and tried to frown as Scarlet, but the sorcerer found herself smiling even bigger, into a genuine, warm smile.

"You press my grapes, pryomancer," Ashley tried to scorn, but couldn't.

Scarlet then finally let out a laugh and sighed. "You know… When I face off against you again, I'll have my foot on your passed-out body."

"I am pretty sure you said something like that before," Ashley smirked.

"Now girls," Molly warned. "I better not find you two all bruised up in my Infirmary once again."

"Eh, don't count on it," Scarlet grinned. "I guess we like to get hurt."

"Ooh," Molly sounded. "How masochistic."

"Shush," Scarlet looked away. "You're younger than me anyways."

"But I can still tend to your injuries," Molly spoke. "I probably cannot do anything when you get scorched by sick burns, however."

Scarlet caught on to the theurgist's sly, playful, sassy words, and continued on with her strange puns on Scarlet being a pyromancer.

"Pfft," she scoffed. "When it comes to roasting…"

The pyromancer looked towards the morning sun with a grin.

"I'll always have the last word."


	21. Something Rotten

"Susie Gryphonbane?"

Emily Stormheart raised an eyebrow at the name, while Sergeant Muldoon switched his eyes onto the girl diviner.

"You know the wizard?" Muldoon asked.

"Yes," Emily nodded.

The violet-haired diviner crossed her arms, with thumb and finger curled around her chin in thought.

"And you say that her brother, Artur, went missing while investigating in Triton Avenue?" Emily continued.

"It is as I said," Muldoon grunted.

For Adrian, the quest discussion wasn't very interesting. Instead, he found himself grinding the sole of his heeled, buckled boot on the cobblestone under his feet. The ground was wet, like rain poured down earlier this morning, but the rest of Olde Town was dry as a nice summer day. The thaumaturge glanced towards the tunnel to Triton Avenue. The arch that held the gate, as well as the walls for the tunnel entrance, was grey, with purple bricks lined along the edges and vertices. A street themed after the Storm school, why not. This is Wizard City after all. By his side, stood Cori Stormcaster. The adolescent diviner held onto Adrian's tailed overcoat designed for nobility. Her hands felt large, smooth objects within Adrian's coat, which Adrian knew that Cori had found Dorothy_02, his Advanced Wand System. Her brown, curly hair jiggled around as Cori's head kept tilting side to side, trying to find out what was within.

"Heeey, big bro," Cori called Adrian, "What's this?"

Her fingers kept rustling around the objects within his coat.

"My wands," Adrian said. "Keep delicate hands about them."

"Oh, oopsies." She let go of his coat. "It didn't feel like a wand."

Cori paused.

"Wait, you said _wands_ , as in plural."

"Yes, indeed," Adrian nodded the other way, watching the surroundings aimlessly while twirling his gem-topped walking cane in boredom.

"How's many wands ye got?" Cori questioned, then watched Adrian's cane go spinny spinny in his fingers. "Is 'at a wand too?"

"No, just a walking cane," Adrian answered simply, while stopping his regal stick and placed its bottom firmly into the ground. "You can see how I use my wands later, I suppose."

"Right," Cori hummed, but suddenly jerked her head right and left. "Hey, have ye seen Shui-Lei?"

"That Mooshuan?" Adrian asked for confirmation.

He scratched his head, and then turned to the left, to spot Shui-Lei Stormflower peeking out from behind a tree. Her braided pigtail jolted straight as a bolt as soon as she saw that she had been found out by Adrian.

"Why is she hiding?" Cori mumbled towards Shui-Lei. "Hey! What are you hiding from?"

A hesitant sound squeaked out of the shy diviner. Shu-Lei stepped out from her somewhat ineffective cover, while patting her lab coat-like robe, and adjusted her glasses. She was literally the perfect example of a scientist's clumsy assistant who somehow is able to hold the scientist's mug of coffee.

"You know, I never seen Shuie in action before," Cori said as Shui-Lei approached bashfully. "Could it be possible I get to see the toys from your workshop? Or lab? Whatever."

"Y-Yeah, you will," Shui-Lei finally spoke. "They are just prototypes, however."

Adrian perked up at the words, "workshop," "lab," and the most grabbing one, "prototypes."

"You have a workshop?" Adrian questioned.

"Y-Yes," Shui-Lei stammered.

Most Mooshuans would've had an accent to their New Avalish, but Shui-Lei spoke the language with no stumbles at all. New Avalish is the equivalent of English, a language native to Avalon, the land of dog knights, Wizard City, home to Ravenwood, and Marleybone, a world on the steps of Industrial Revolution. But anyways, Adrian noticed Shui-Lei's fluent New Avalish, which he compared to Ashley Breeze's more accented version of the language. However, he didn't want to seem ignorant and ask about the matter.

"So what things do you have on your schematics?" Adrian asked.

"G-Golems," Shui-Lei answered. "Steam golems, autonomous machines."

Cori popped into the conversation. "Auto- what now?"

"Autonomous," Adrian repeated. "When a machine is able to work and act of its own accord."

Impressed, he smiled towards Shui-Lei.

"It's not often you find someone young working on something as advanced as golems."

"Thank you," Shui-Lei smiled bashfully. "But you shouldn't compliment only me. I'm just the deputy of Ravenwood's Research and Development Club, or just Science Club."

"Wow," Adrian breathed. "A whole group dedicated to science? In Ravenwood?"

"We strive to expand Ravenwood's grasp of magic," Shui-Lei continued, knowing that she had somehow grabbed Adrian's attention.

At this point, the ice wizard was basically ready to roll and around and fangirl at the thought of this "Science Club." Imagine what things they could develop, and discover! Imagine how techmaturgy could drastically improve technological advances of the club's creations and designs! All these thoughts floated around in Adrian's mind. One second, he was a regal, silent man. The next, he became a schoolgirl in a sailor uniform, with the boy of his dreams in his mind, squirming around with hands eager to hug himself. Only, that boy was the Science Club.

Cori watched Adrian just standing there, holding his walking cane close to his chest as he imagined whatever eggheads are supposed to have wet dreams about. At this point, Cori was sure that Adrian was a girl, with his handsome, yet feminine appearance. The storm wizard had second questions about calling Adrian "big bro" anyways. Meanwhile, Shui-Lei made careful, shy steps towards Adrian, having her trembling hands in the crook of her neck.

"I-I take it you're interested in joining R&D Club?" the diviner asked, adjusting her glasses.

Regaining some degree of tranquility, Adrian ceased his excitement and nodded towards Shui-Lei, with the same, school-girly eagerness. But suddenly, Emily Stormheart returned from her discussion with Sergeant Muldoon, casting her keen eyes upon the young Cori, the timid Shui-Lei, and the now-anticipating Adrian.

"I'm guessing I need to brief you all about the quest," Emily said plainly.

Adrian managed to get himself out of his daydreaming about Science Club, and turned to Emily with a clearing of his throat.

"I heard everything ," Adrian nodded.

Emily shrugged and glanced at her apprentice, Cori.

"How about you?"

Cori shook her head. "Sorry, I guess."

Another shrug was Emily's answer.

"Then let me explain," the violet-haired diviner started. "So far, three students have been sent to investigate and deal with the problems in Triton Avenue. Two storm wizards and a necromancer; Susie Gryphonbane, her elder brother, Artur, and Duncan Grimwater."

"Susie?" Shui-Lei repeated. "One of the journeymen valedictorians of last year?"

"And her brother, a _magus,_ " Cori wowed. _"_ Mister Ambrose sent some powerful wizards."

"Which means, we couldn't be any better if they are already having trouble," Adrian mused, while holding his hat. "And I am still kind of recovering from my last battle. Mana is a problem."

Emily crossed her arms, trying to think something up in her brilliant mind. The undead lurks in Triton Avenue, and the investigation to find out why is currently crippled because of a missing member.

 _Even if this team consists of two initiates, me as a journeyman, and a novice, all together, we are four people,_ Emily thought. _There would be six people in total to find one person. Heck, we could even find out what's causing the trouble on Triton Avenue._

The girl who was titled 'Warlord of the Arena', clapped her hands in conclusions and delivered her verdict on the situation.

"Hey, individually, we would have power of journeymen at most, but together, I bet we could topple even a master wizard!" Emily grinned. "We have a lot of bodies searching for one, so we should struggle much. Add four to three, minus Artur, and we have six wizards, as a team."

Adrian was still a bit skeptic. Shui-Lei was just as nervous as the ice wizard, only two times more, and Cori didn't really care. All she knows that she had to wave her wand around whenever some undead creep approaches. With those returning looks, Emily tried to rack up something else to say.

"Besides," Emily smiled. "You have me; warlord duelist and master strategist. Not to mention one of the Four Elite Initiates! I have bragging rights you know."

 _Shouldn't it be the Four Elite Journeymen now?_ Cori thought.

"And what are you so worried about?" Emily came up and slapped Adrian on the back of his shoulder. "You and that Scarlet girl almost beat Ashley! I know for sure, that you're more powerful than your average initiate."

"O-Ow…" Adrian squeaked as he was hit. "I g-guess…"

"Pfft," Emily sounded. "I'm sure Shuie has some mana potions for you anyways."

"Managing how I distribute my mana is the problem," Adrian explained. "I can't regenerate mana like usual, and I might end up being burnt out of action."

Emily rolled her eyes and brashly pulled Adrian in under her arm. "You've got three diviners with you, for Bartleby's sake. Storm is the strongest magic school after all."

"Yeah!" Cori bounced up, giving two thumbs up to the ice wizard.

Shui-Lei gave a simple, timid wave of a hand to Adrian.

"You might dirty my coat…" Adrian mumbled.

"You can always buy a new one," Emily huffed. "You're going into battle anyways."

Emily mumbled out, "Marleybonians," like they were all the same.

"Oh I'm sure you would like to dirty up your arcane robes as well," Adrian smirked, taking a look at Emily's cream and purple colored wizardly garments. "With a gander at those threads, I know they're more than nine hundred crowns."

Surprised at how Adrian accurately appraised her clothes, Emily switched her glance elsewhere.

"Is that the same with all Marleybonians?" she asked. "Having eyes that attaches price tags to everything?"

"You try being stuck in a room and read fashion catalogues out of boredom," Adrian grinned.

The thaumaturge budged out from under Emily's arm, and patted down his coat.

"I suppose we should go," Adrian suggested. "We can't banter around about the values of our clothes when we have a wizard missing."

"Right on, then!" Cori jumped. "I'm going to skewer me some lightning-fried ghouls!"

"Ew," Shui-Lei choked. "You're going to eat ghouls?"

"Haha, nah. But you know, I think there are lots of frogs in Triton Avenue."

Cori let her tongue swish around her lips, wettening them for a snack.

"I do love fried frogs, or in stew."

Shui-Lei only hobbled away from Cori while holding her stomach.

"Ugh," she grossed out. "No wonder she's a Grizzleheimic."

Amused, Cori let out a laugh at Shui-Lei, but then the two was called over by Emily, who was heading towards the tunnel to Triton Avenue with Adrian. As the four traveled up the tunnel, Cori made a light using her storm magic to scare away the darkness, especially since Adrian wasn't exactly fond of the dark combined with conformed spaces. Throughout the lengthy tunnel, Adrian asked about the walls. He observed mosaics and art that was made in the tunnels.

"Those were made by the second generation students of the Purple House," Emily explained. "You know how the Violet Nightingales were talented in the arts. Those students were mostly storm wizards."

Emily traced out one of the passing stone mosaics on the wall. She explained how these artworks told a story, a story of how the tritons came to be.

"Now tritons were legendary creatures, and are descendants of the original triton, whose name is… Well, Triton."

Emily shrugged to Cori's question, was to why Triton had a whole race of creatures named after him.

"Triton is the son of the Aquilan Immortal, Poeseidon Earth Shaker. He was born in order to help fight against Cronus, that one ancient Aquilan Immortals who was the father of Poseidon, as well as Hades the Unseen and Zeus Sky Father."

"Why do they have such weird names?" Cori asked. "'Earth Shaker?' 'Sky Father?' Are those like middle and last names combined?"

"Hey, I'm not an Aquilan," Emily retorted. "Anyways, Triton had many sons, who were mermen just like him, and his daughters were mermaids. Now listen here, Aquila once faced danger again, as Hades the Unseen suspected his brothers of stealing an ancient helm of his, so the tritons were sent to defend the Aquilan mainland against the undead sailors and seamen who rose from the ocean. They fought heroically, and were deemed guardians of the sea."

As Emily neared the end of the tritons' lore, she, Adrian, Shui-Lei, and Cori met the end of the tunnel, coming out and into the open, setting foot on the wet, rain-fresh streets of Triton Avenue.

"And that's why Triton Avenue gained its name," Emily concluded. "These streets hold the main source of water for Wizard City, which gives rain to this world. The tritons blessed this place with an endless supply of water, as well as the many sources of storm magic to power many of the technologies running in Wizard City."

Impressed by the story, Adrian looked up into the sky. He saw that the streets of Triton Avenue had skies of overcast clouds. It seemed like those clouds would never disappear, and the smell of the streets was fresh, like morning dew in the misty air, or an afternoon in the green hills of Grizzleheim's countryside after a shower.

"Now, off to find Susie Gryphonbane?" Emily asked. "We were supposed to meet her further down the street in the direction of the Four Falls Mills."

"The street is awfully empty," Shui-Lei remarked.

Adrian saw what she meant. He imagined the purple and grey cobblestone streets to be culturous, populated with neighbors and commuters, pulling around carts of food or something. Instead, the streets were dead empty like a ghost town.

"The undead must be further down south of Tirton Avenue," Emily thought aloud. "And more across the Crab Alley River and the Four Falls."

She started forward, hugging onto her big, thick grimoire, and her three wizardly companions followed. The wind howled silently. Triton Avenue as of its current weather and atmosphere, seemed to be like a happy, sunny-less day, but the emptiness made everything hallow and ominous. The three diviners and thaumaturge continued onwards, until they saw a small valley, about sixth a mile wide. The view was amazing. The street continued down the valley side and across Crab Alley River. Willow trees were placed sparingly along the rift, and in the distance, the wizard took sight of four narrow waterfalls, which flowed from a pond. A millhouse was next to the pond, and watermill spun, pushed into rotation by the strange flows of the pond. A tiny island was home to a dueling circle, which was erected in the middle of the Crab Alley River, seeming to be the source of the stream of water.

"See there, folks?" Cori pointed. "Me thinks I've found a fellow wizard!"

Emily followed after Cori's words and glanced further down the street that descended into the valley. A storm wizard dressed in purple and yellow garbs, looking out into the valley. She had a magic staff, with a velvet violet shaft. On the top was an impressive amethyst, with three metal prongs sticking out of it, giving the staff the appearance of a bronze trident. Adrian couldn't make out the diviner's face, but her light ash brown hair was made into a ponytail, which flapped around to the winds of Triton Avenue. The storm wizard was off in a daydream, or so it seems. She had a face of worry, but that was quickly altered as she heard the sounds of approaching footsteps. Looking over her shoulder, the diviner spotted four fellow wizards. Three girl diviners and one girl thaumaturge.

_Or is that thaumaturge actually… a guy?_

The storm wizard shook her head in enriddlement.

"I suppose you are Susie?" Emily Stormheart stepped forward.

"Gryphonbane," Susie answered back.

Her eyes were sharp, like you would've thought that she was a cold, winter hawk, but the rest of her face opened up some windows where her smile could be as warm as a nice, hearthen fireplace.

"Are you four the reinforcements? I never expected one of the Four Elite Initiates to be sent on this quest, or should I say Four Elite Journeymen?"

"That's what I thought!" Cori remarked.

"Yes, we are the reinforcements," Emily confirmed. "Tasked with the objective of finding your brother?"

Susie's eyes lit up. "Yes! So glad you guys came! I've been trying to get someone to help me, but all the guards are too busy with the events of late. I am guessing the Headmaster sent you?"

"He wouldn't have trusted anybody else with the job!" Cori piped up.

Emily slapped the back of her apprentice's head. "Shut up, Cori."

Susie smirked at the little bout between Emily and Cori, but she continued.

"My brother and I can use the help. We are trying to stop all the undead that broke down the gate from the Haunted Cave and invaded the area."

Her smirk subtly formed into pursed lips.

"I went after Artur, but I found this when I first set foot into the Haunted Cave…"

Susie's hand rustled around into her spellbook, pulling something out of her magic backpack, producing a broken wand that was torn into two. If it were put back together, the wand was like an illusionary magician's wand; black with a white top.

"At least, I can bet now that he was right about the Haunted Cave as being the source of evil," Susie mumbled.

"What is this Haunted Cave?" Adrian asked. "Tis' a peculiar yet general name."

Emily's brows raised at the question, and a short chuckle was made. "Yeah, indeed."

The warlord diviner tucked her grimoire in her right arm, as her left was raised, pointing to beyond the other side of the valley.

"Further north of Triton Avenue, is the Haunted Cave, one of the 'spawning grounds' for undead creatures, it being the most dangerous."

Emily returned her violet eyes to Adrian.

"We send students there to train, or to grab samples of necromantic origin, but now it seems that things there have grown out of control. The Haunted Cave is usually sealed and protected by a strong spell, with a password..."

Her words strayed off as she came to realization.

"You think someone could've tampered with the spell?" Emily questioned. "Someone who knows the password to the sealing spell may have caused the Haunted Cave to go out of control!"

"That is a good hypothesis," Susie nodded, crossing her arms with trident in one hand. "But no one really knows who has the password for the Haunted Cave's seal, except for its caster, Mister Lincoln the registrar, and of course, Headmaster Ambrose."

"I can't imagine those folks tryin' ta sabotage Wizard City, yea," Cori commented.

Everyone's voices came to a standstill, as that path of investigation led to a dead end. Susie hugged her elbows together, trying to think of something else, as her trident-like staff floated beside her.

"You know what?" Susie made up her mind. "Could you talk to Duncan Grimwater?"

The diviner showed the way, further down the canyon, pointing towards a black and white-clothed figure.

"He is a Death student studying the events here, trying to piece together what is going on."

Her face changed for a more subtly disgusted version.

"He's a little snobbish… but he might have a clue as to my brother's whereabouts. Can you check with him, please? I'm here monitoring any activity in the southern region of Triton Avenue."

"I'm sure we've met snobbish people every now and then," Emily assured. "At least this Duncan's doing his job, yeah?"

Susie hesitantly nodded her head side to side like she was saying "Uh, sure, perhaps," and then nodded to confirm it as a yes.

* * *

"Merle Ambrose sent another group of wizards to help out?" Duncan asked. "I guess he thinks that Susie and her brother cannot handle this situation. I guess that's what happens you send Storm students to do a Death student's job."

Utterly irked, Emily tilted her head back with revulsion, while Cori pouted behind Emily's cloak, probably wanting to talk back to the rude comment. Adrian raised a brow at Duncan, recognizing his offense to his partners, but his eyes took further notice to his appearance. His skin was like chocolate, eyes like a silver, and hair unknownst to Adrian because Duncan had it hidden under his hood. His clothes overall was a long wizard's robe that had a similar take on Nicole's robes, also sharing their black and white dye preferences. His staff was somehow a bit spooky. At the top, Duncan's staff had a mini upper torso of a skeleton with no arms, and a wide-open jaw. Indeed, this was Duncan Grimwater, a necromancer.

"You do realize that we are diviners ourselves, right?" Emily asked. "Plus the occasional thaumaturge."

Duncan glanced between Emily and her group. Clearly, there were three storm wizards, dead giveaway by their clothing, but then there was the nobly-clothed boy or girl with a top hat and walking cane.

"I suppose that person is the ice wizard? Couldn't really tell because the gal looks like a Marleybonian. Strange clothes for a girl too."

"I am a male," Adrian roughly growled, though his high tenor voice wasn't really convincing of his claim.

At first, Duncan seemed surprised, squinting towards Adrian's face, leaning close to even dare to tip the ice wizard's top hat up to get a clearer image of his face. Duncan's silver eyes then switched to Adrian's footwear. There hasn't been one time Duncan had seen a guy wearing heeled footwear. The necromancer even went to the point of squeezing at Adrian's chest, which made everyone else step back with raised eyebrows regarding the fruity scene. Everyone except Shui-Lei, who leaned forward instead, with hands under her chin, and the sun reflecting off the lenses of her glasses, wanting to know what kinky events would occur next.

Settled with his investigation, Duncan stepped back and sighed. "Fine enough, you're a guy."

"If Adrian was girl, I would've scalped you," Emily growled.

"I thought Adrian was a girl name?" Duncan asked.

"It's unisex," Cori said.

"I wish that would've kept going~" Shui-Lei mumbled to herself quietly with a blush.

"I just wish to go home," Adrian turned around.

"I wish we would all just get to the point," Emily snapped.

After those words, everyone had shut their mouths in front of Emily, not daring to utter one single word. Duncan cleared his throat into his fist and nodded.

"Yeah, back to the point," he started. "So what is it?"

"Susie's brother is missing, and she thought if you could have any clues to his wherabouts," Emily explained.

"Pfft, he must've been scared and ran off to Ravenwood," Duncan smirked ignorantly.

Emily raised her chin, and then tilted her head forward to Duncan, subtly hinting that this was a more rigid situation.

"Susie found his broken wand by the Haunted Cave."

Duncan's expression changed to a slightly surprised face.

"The Haunted Cave…"

He thought about it, trying to gather and sum anything from his prior knowledge, but shook his head.

"I'll check around to and see what I can find out," Duncan offered.

He then turned around, facing towards the Four Falls Mill and the northern part of Triton Avenue.

"In the meantime, I could use some help with my field studies. I need to find out the fighting tactics of the Undead. Knowing how they may fight can give us some insight on them."

Duncan peeked a shy glance from his shoulder.

"I would do it myself but… uh… I just ran out of treasure cards."

He turned back to Emily and her questmates.

"Just defeat some Rotting Fodders, then report back to me afterwards. There may be some spirits there as well."

"Rotting Fodders?" Cori asked, questioning the name.

"Oh yeah," Duncan recalled. "The ghouls released here are anomalies. There are a lot of them lurking around, seeming to be looking for something. They could just be pawns of distraction as well, having something more scheming as they're put to keep us away. Any apprentice could handle them. So yeah, Rotting Fodders."

"Pfft, you don't need treasure cards to put down a couple of ghouls," Emily scoffed.

"These ghouls are different," Duncan pressed. "They fight differently than the ones we summon. That's why we need intelligence on how they battle. Unpredictable. Last time I fought them, they made soil and dirt gather in their palm, trying to blast me with that stuff. It's like they're using magic!"

"It seems like it probably is," Adrian suggested, crossing his arms.

"I don't recall any school of magic that can make earth float into their hands," Cori said. "Maybe Life magic, and that's a ridiculous suggestion already. Why would ghouls use magic in the first place?"

"Well that's what we're supposed to find out," Emily reminded Cori. "It looks like we've got a mystery on our hands!"

"What are you, twelve?" Cori mumbled.

"I enjoyed reading _Little Sherlock Bones_ when I was little," Emily groaned. "I can still be a kid, you know."

"Well," Adrian pondered aloud. "If they ghouls are able to manipulate dirt, a physical entity…"

He reached up with his free right hand, letting stray leaves and particles get attracted into a singularity in his palm, forming an orb of airborne jetsam.

"Then they must've used Levitation," Adrian assumed.

Being silent all this time, Shui-Lei also thought up of something, being a bit happy to contribute.

"That's an Initiate-level spell," Shui-Lei added. "I doubt ghouls could learn or use something like that off the bat, so something larger must be at work."

"Then how is Adrian able to do it with his bare hands?" Emily said.

"I studied in Wysteria," Adrian simply put.

He also pointed blatantly towards his right forearm with an innocent smile.

"I also have a wand up my sleeve!"

"Oh," Emily sounded.

She shook her head, dismissing Adrian's visual illusions and playfulness. Emily glanced at her questmates, puffing up her chest and brought her hands to her hips, like she was going to say something like, 'without further ado'.

"I guess we shall be off," the storm wizard decided, blowing a strand of her violet hair out of the way.

"These are actual battles we are getting into, so keep attentive feet, and be ready for any commands."

"Commands?" Adrian asked. "In mid-battle? That will be a bit hard for me, as I battle of my own accord, and my focus applies in the same way."

"Just trust me," Emily assured him. "After all, I _am_ a master strategist."

"Someone needs a bragging reduction spell," Cori mumbled.

In return, the young diviner gets whacked with a grimoire by Emily.

* * *

It could very well be considered as an underground warehouse, with no windows to let light from the inside shine in. The facility contained aisles and aisles of failed or scrapped machinery, which were stacked high and mightily. The only sounds were the creaking of the hanging lamps above, to which few were radiating, to give some degree of lumination upon certain areas and aisles.

The shelved machines, among the oldest, were golems, made of metal like bronze, steel, and iron. They held scents of rust and frost. Some were fat, pudgy, while others was built skinny, yet dignified, like servants. Among the ranks of mechanical menaces, a portion were equipped with the means to serve in combative means, such as piston-enhanced fists the size of whatever could break through the toughest gates. Galvanic pylons stuck out of a few other prototypes. If activated, they would prove certain death within a set perimeter. The rest of the mechanical constructs seemed to be fitting with fancy suits, taking impressions of high-class butlers.

An old track would play, with its tape winding and being read by a magical conch shell, its voice warped out of recognition.

_Log entry fifty seven. These models of metal prove inefficient. I am unable to implement equipment and enhancements worthy of combat, while being able to serve and disguise in civilian environments-slash-situations. I must try something else._

Further along the aisles, samples of rotting bodies and Undead were kept. Some were contained in boxes, labeled _Voltaile,_ while the rest were displayed in tubes, filled with water. The rotting corpses floated around aimlessly. Some twitched, and their eyeballs rolled around, kept against their wills.

_Log entry one hundred and twenty nine. The Undead specimens are unviable for servanthood. Of course, it is as expected. I aimed to change it, but nothing works. Undead with servant-like memories seemed promising. However, it is not enough. Memories are a far cry from what can produce intelligence._

A silence then came from the voice, but it grew ominous.

_Where am I to get such intelligence? Even if I retrieved cerebremic samples from_ _**live** _ _specimens, I was not able to create sentient behavior…._

The voice suddenly let out a short chuckle in excitement as they made up an idea.

_Create…_

Continuing along the failed projects, to sets of magical crystals, the shelves started to contain numerous variations of all colors. Red, green, blue, any of what the minds can imagine. All of them were polished and pristine, while the rest were still kept in boxes, stamped with _Imported from Dragonspyre._ From the magical crystals on display, magical holographs of souls, or what seemed to be souls, floated above them. All of the holograms were of humanoid figures, and their faces vacant of feeling, and other holograms' mentalities were unstable. They kept spewing about random nonsense.

_Log entry four hundred and seven. No matter how hard I try… I wasn't able to create the formula for sentience. It seems only the gods know of how we creatures are able to feel, make sense, and think for ourselves. How can I gain the knowledge for their formula for sentience, even as it exists within us? This formula that gives what makes us…_ _**human.** _ _It can only be replicated as life continues…_

A pause.

_Replicated…_

The shelves then turned into simple tables, with devices designed to somehow gain access to the mind of whoever the devices was used on, from hats of metal and cords, to operating table-like things with wires connected to memory crystals.

_Log entry five hundred and fifteen. After many trials, it seems to have taken a toll on my mind… However, I finally able was able to do it. Now, it needs a vessel capable to carrying out my deeds._

The aisles of tables, shelves, and workshops containing prototypes, models, experiments, finally come to a stop. At the end of the long path into the warehouse, was a single desk. On top, was a standing screen that displayed information, numbers, words, and magical runes; a computer monitor.

Behind the desk, was a constructed and fully-completed… body, contained in a large glass tube. It took appearance of a young lady. Her face was beautiful and amorous. An artificial flower was crafted into her shoulder-length hair. The skin had a light-blue tint, and tiny crevices were there as well, as if her body could be opened to contain objects within. Her eyes however, were closed. The lady's body was clothed in a strange, yet elegant dress that bared her shoulders, arms, and legs. Overall, her figure was short, petite, yet supple.

Suddenly, the computer screen in front of the dormant lady flashed with red. Words appeared on the monitor, reading:

 **SUMMONING BEACON ACTIVATED. DEPLOYING SERVANT WITHIN PARAMETERS: 0_1** , **MARK I**

A lengthy cable was connected from the computer screen, which snaked out from the behind, trailed down the desk, onto the floor, and was attached to the glass tube containing the dormant lady. From the computer, a flash of information streamed from it and to the glass tube through the cable. Without warning, the floor around the lady in the glass tube began to glow with runes and symbols. A magic circle was drawn there all along, and the lady in the glass was in the center. Arcane runes and symbols which brightened with light and the magic circle grew in power, gaining strength to do whatever it was purposed for. In center, the lady of the glass tube's eyelids flew open, revealing crimson eyes, with camera lens-like mechanics for pupils. Her lips parted, and simple words slipped out.

"Responding to summoning beacon imminent."

Nothing more could be described, as the lady disappeared in a blinding flash, and the magic circle lost its magic and radiance, dimming back to its dormant state. The only thing that was left were the computer, desk, and the glass tube home to the lady.

The recording of the distorted voice would play again from the tracks and tapes.

_Log entry five-hundred and sixteen. She is finished, and her name shall be…_

**_Amelia_01._ **


	22. The Dark Cave

Oddly enough, the "Dark Cave," generic name as it is, had light. In fact, it was another subtown, like Cyclops Lane. However, this was a town in a cave. The only light that was around was from the old, cobweb-garnished lampposts scattered sparingly along the winding streets of the Dark Cave. The lamps themselves wasn't so illuminating, only going as far as a short perimeter around them, yet the multitudes of the lampposts throughout the Dark Cave had enough light to give clear visibility for the three girls who now entered the vicinity.

Knuckles on her hips, Scarlet leaned back to gain a full view of the 'sky' above. It seemed like the ceiling of the cave was far into the heights. The pyromancer could only see darkness, shrouding the above as if the sky was a starless night. Ashley Breeze and Molly Lionheart passed on beside her left and right, onto the streets of the Dark Cave. Scarlet took notification of their footsteps, and continued along with her questmates. She would glance around, taking a scale of her surroundings.

"Everything is dead, and all these homes are abandoned," Scarlet commented as she turned her back and forth, observing and whatnot, sometimes having to blow or sputter her strands of blonde hair away. "No leaves on the trees, and there's like thick, black, thorny vines growing around them."

"That is blackwater briar," Molly said. "The offspring of death and graveyards, spooky enough. The 'meat' of the briar vines is real sweet, though."

The life wizard pointed towards a gnarly bunch of briar, having been grown around a dead tree behind a stone fence that bordered sidewalks and grass.

"That is if you can get through the tough bark, first."

"Sounds like something that would interest Chef Adrian more," Scarlet thought aloud.

The three girls on a quest suddenly halted as Ashley signaled to stop with a raised hand.

The atmosphere and surroundings was dark, damp, and lukewarm. However, that didn't stop Ashley from having her skin tighten and her muscles tensing. Despite the decent temperature, it still felt cold, like a shiver worthy of not only trembling one's back, but even to the point of breaking every individual vertebra out of place.

"I have not sensed one undead soul," Ashley informed. "This place seems barren. Do you guys see anything?"

"Nothing," Molly shook her head, spying into the alleys between houses that peeked into other roads. "We go on further into the Dark Cave."

Ashley peeked over her shoulder at Molly with her sightless eyes, and nodded. However, the Balance wizard still could not deny this feeling of the Dark Cave. It was unsettling. It was an atmosphere full of the intent to kill.

Raw. Sheer. Will. To kill.

If there was a time Ashley didn't want her magical sensory powers, it was now. Her blind gaze wandered off, looking aimlessly at the ends of her high heeled combat boots.

_This uneasiness… No. I cannot let this absurd feeling stop me. We must keep going-_

Her train of thought derailed as she noticed colors of caucasian move in the corner of her eye: Scarlet raised hand towards her questmates.

"Hold on. About the Runed Skull…"

"What is it?" Ashley answered.

"Is there anything about the thing? Anything magical? Significant?"

"All I know about the skull," Molly spoke up, "Is that it has gems, jewels, embedded into it."

"I do hope the Skull resonates some kind of mana-esque signature," Ashley mumbled, gripping onto her _guandao-_ like staff. "Or at least a distinct-"

The sorcerer narrowed her eyes down the street.

"-smell…"

"Oh yeah," Scarlet recalled. "You're blind."

"No," Ashley snapped back, but stammered on. "I-I mean yes, but-"

The Mooshuan let out an irritated sigh at herself. Never before did Scarlet see Ashley stumble upon her words, which amused the fire wizard.

"I mean;" Ashley started, "Yes, I am blind, putting a degree of difficulty and uncertainty regarding my ability to identify the Runed Skull, but the matter I brought up just then is that I smell something."

Scarlet thought Ashley knew about the stolen buttermilk candy she had hidden in her satchel, but was also reminded that her Balance wizard acquaintance had an acute sense of smell, which compensated for her inability to see.

Molly stepped forward, between Ashley and the further distance of the street.

"What did you smell, Ashe?" the Life wizard asked.

"Something stale, and cold rust," the Balance wizard mumbled. "I wish for silence."

Scarlet was appalled at Ashley's request. It sounded more like a command to the pyromancer. She was about to talk back at Ashley, until Scarlet was signaled by Molly with a finger to her lips. The chocolate-haired theurgist mouthed a sound like, _shhh._ Scarlet blinked at Molly, and returned her attention to Ashley. The young sorcerer had her eyes closed, and her ears intent.

"I hear…" Ashley's voice lowered into a whisper. "I hear bones creaking…"

"Skeletal pirates?" Scarlet questioned.

"Quiet," Ashley said.

"Ceren said skeletons, but skeletal _pirates,_ here in Wizard City?" Molly asked.

"Yea," Scarlet nodded. "I had rough encounters with them while in Unicorn Way."

"Quiet!" Ashley snapped.

Scarlet shut her lips obediently while Molly smirked towards the "leader" of the Three Elite Initiates.

 _I really think we should be the Three Elite Journeymen by now_ , Molly thought.

"I sense…" Ashley mumbled. "I sense souls, cheating death through natural necromancy."

The Balance wizard exited her trance of acute sensing.

"The dead approaches, or at least; they are coming at an angle near our direction."

"Natural necromancy?" Scarlet asked.

Ashley turned her glance to Scarlet, preparing for an explanation.

"It is when creatures of Death naturally are born or are spawned. In most cases, in particular locations," she said.

"Like uh, graveyards with spooky fog floating around?" Scarlet brought up.

Ashley nodded. "Yes, eldergloom mist. But anyways, natural necromancy occurs when souls are at unrest, and their soul, spirit, and body are able to rejoin to settle their unrest. However, their bodies, the flesh, like their brains, their mind, are unable to function well, and they forget their aim to relieve their regrets, so they wander around, attacking any they see. At times, there may also be creatures of Necromancy as well, that are born through the ways of tales and stories. The force of Myth and Death combined."

"You think there would by any Undead who come back remembering about how they would settle their unrest?" Scarlet asked.

Ashley nodded. "Sometimes, the will of the soul is strong enough that they are able to do just that."

While Ashley gave the pyromancer a little lesson of Necromantic Bioesperology, Molly stepped forward, holding out a spell card with viridian designs grafted intricately in the forms of vines and floral silhouettes.

Molly began to chant delicately. "Essence Summoning: Scouting Mandrake."

The Life spell card went up in a poof of dusty green dust, leaving behind a red residue in Molly's palm. It soon took form of a small, pudgy, baby sapling, with tiny legs and arms, and bunches of leaves pluming out of its top. The cute-ish, ugly-ish thingy let out a noise, like a cranky baby sound, and then jumped off of its caster's hand. Right as it landed on the cobblestone street, the mandrake burrows between the cracks of the bricks, and into the ground.

"I've let out a scouting mandrake," Molly notified the others. "We'll follow the mandrake to the undead, without getting lost in the Dark Cave."

"Good idea," Ashley nodded. "I don't suppose any of us knows the outlay of the Dark Cave."

"I thought you fourth-year folks have been in here before or somethin'," Scarlet brought up.

"We did, but we have never ventured far into the Undead spawning grounds. Who knows what horrors the Cave may harbor the deeper we push in."

"That's what she said," Scarlet snickered.

Molly raised a brow. "What?"

"That's what who said?" Ashley asked.

Scarlet shrugged, holding back a burst of laughter afterwards. "Nevermind."

"Al..right," Ashley said slowly, turning her head towards the fire wizard. "I don't suppose we should waste anymore time bantering around."

The Balance wizard subconsciously changed her expression to something like she was trying to figure out Scarlet's words. Ashley shook the thought off, and continued with Scarlet as the two followed Molly's lead. The theurgist held her staff between her back and cape, while she closed her eyes and her free hand was strutted forward. Scarlet observed it as some kind of weird sleepwalking, following someone with their eyes closed. Now she was travelling with two blind people. However, she already knew that was Molly's way of following the mandrake spell she released a while ago. Most likely, to the Fire wizard's assumption, Molly could feel the magical energy given off of her own spell. Scarlet felt that she was staring at the back of Molly's head for too long and should stop before she finds herself oogling at her black short skirt and how it was just enough to cover her behind. Scarlet pursed her lips, realizing it was too late for her meandering eyes. She turned her attention elsewhere, harboring a slight blush.

Half an hour passed on as the three kept on in silence. The streets of the Dark Cave were still well-lit by lampposts whose lights must've never went out for quite the time. Though the houses and cottages they past were of limestone concrete bricks, they turned darker shades the farther Ashley, Molly, and Scarlet wandered deep. At this point, the sound of creaking bones echoed around the pyromancer's ears.

"That can't just be me, right?" she questioned.

"I hear it too," Ashley mumbled. "And I smell it."

She showed disgust to an unusually strong scent of rust and dry bones, which usually would've not been a problem for noses that aren't hypersensitive.

"Sucks to be you~" Scarlet said all singy-songy.

Molly halted abruptly, and Ashley did accordingly, but Scarlet bumped into the sorcerer, and apologized briefly, while peeking over Ashley's shoulderguard to see Molly to have stopped raising her arm forward, and her eyelids ceased to hide her viridian eyes.

"The mandrake has stopped," she informed. "I don't see any undead."

"Hmm, I don't see them either…" Ashley mumbled with her blindness.

Scarlet tilted her head at Ashley. "Really?"

The Balance wizard's reply was a smirk. "However, I do sense them much more. It's very unclear."

To Ashley, she could feel the mana of the undead like a haze, a fog, as if the Undead were…

"They are around us," Ashley snapped. "We are surrounded."

"Zero to a hundred-" Scarlet rolled her eyes, taking out her wand with a fire spellcard in the other hand, swiping it up the wand's body to make sparks and flames flourish from the base, producing a Cinderblade Cutlass spell.

"-Real quick."

 _Kagu-tsuchi…_ Ashley thought to herself, sensing the sword of fire.

Molly and Scarlet had their heads turning like alert owls, as they tried to spot out whatever Undead were around them.

"Y'don't suppose they're hiding in the woodworks, no?" Scarlet questioned.

"That is what is most likely," Molly whispered.

Ashley too, took a ready stance, with her magical spear-staff, _Kamakari_ , constricted around her skilled fingers. Instead to relying to sensing any hostile energies, she turned an ear to her surroundings.

 _Bones creaking,_ Ashley thought. _Skeletons, no doubt._

Her head suddenly swung back to dodge a stray bolt of ice.

 _Skeletons, with ice magic._ _Makes sense._

Growling and grumbling of multiple persons started to emerge, as skeletons, clad in black and white steel armor, rustled out of bushes, slipped out from behind trees, crawled out of cottages' windows, and one even fell out of the branches of a dead tree. They all had curved swords, and shields that matched their black armor.

"Nice work," one skeleton chuckled, as it approached the skeleton who dropped out of the tree.

"Shut up, Wick," the other grumbled.

As the skeleton helped its brother out, they were pushed aside violently by a much larger set of living bones, who wore heavier armor than the others. He raised a heavy scimitar towards the three wizardly girls.

"You've stepped in the wrong neighborhood, little trash bags of intestines!" the hulking skeleton said all snarky.

At first, Scarlet sword was raised and pointed to copy the, dubbed, Hulking Skeleton, but her arm faltered.

"Wow, you could've have thought up of more graphically disturbing insult?" Scarlet asked.

The Hulking Skeleton also lowered his sword, and rubbed the back of his neck.

"Does meatbag work?" he asked.

"Yeah, sure," Scarlet nodded. "Simpler to say. Thanks for not making someone throw up."

"You're welcome," the Hulking Skeleton shrugged, but then he suddenly shook his head. "I mean you are not welcome!"

"That was nice while it lasted," Scarlet muttered to Molly.

"I AM GOING TO FLAY YOU WARMSKINS AND HANG YOUR STRIPS OF SKIN TO DRY, AND THEN WE'LL FEED IT TO YOUR WIZARD SCHOOL AS HUMAN JERKY!" the Hulking Skeleton roared.

"Wow, rude," Scarlet rolled her eyes.

"STOP MOCKING ME!"

With that, the Hulking Skeleton banged his scimitar against his shield, which was practically like a wall, and roared, permitting his army of skeletal soldiers to charge towards the three wizards.

"Is this what you had in mind?" Molly asked Ashley. "Three against a legion of walking bones?"

"No, no I did not," the sorcerer admitted plainly. "But this works nonetheless."

Molly blinked skeptically at Ashley. "This is basically a death wish-"

A fire arrow suddenly _wooshed_ past the life wizard's hair landing right into the eyeball of a skeletal warrior. His hands immediately went for the shaft of the arrow, trying to pull it out while screaming in pain. Molly's eyes were wide at the sight, and turned her head to discover the source of the blazing arrow. It was from a freshly-summoned fire elf, who stood on Scarlet's shoulder. The elf was so recently summoned, even maples leaves were yet to land on the ground around Scarlet.

"Huh, nice save, novice," Molly smiled.

Paying no attention to the compliment, Scarlet stretched her arm forward to the approaching army of skeletons, and the fire elf on her shoulder leapt off in the direction of his caster's hand like a madman. Meanwhile, Ashley raised her forearms across her eyes, with _guandao_ in hand, and a leathery-tan spellcard in the other.

"Fall into my blood path," Ashley murmured as she planned out a trail straight through her part the legion skeletons that surrounded Ashley and her friends.

The Mooshuan pulls her hands apart, sliding her spellcard along the shaft of her spear. The card glowed and was consumed by the spear-staff like it was vacuumed in.

"Desert Arts: Sandstorm," Ashley recited.

Her feet suddenly set Ashley off into acceleration toward the army of skeletal warriors as fast as human feet could take her, but her spear-staff radiated with the power of Balance magic, leaving a trail of sand as it sped through space with Ashley. When she was merely a second from enemy contact, the balance wizard's velocity burst into the speed of a blazing round from a redcoat's musket. To Ashley, the individual mana forms in front of her warped into streams of cold light that rushed past her left and right sides. Her feet twisted and kept Ashley spinning and corkscrewing in order to barely dodge every blade or shield that attempted to touch her body, while her hands guided her magical _guandao_ to slice through the skeletons, not paying attention to the tornado of sand around her that kept her breakneck momentum. After the timeframe of a few seconds, a whirlwind of sands shot out from the crowd of skeletons. Its form broke and disintegrated to let go of Ashley's barreling body, spinning horizontally five feet up in mid-air, and landed on the cobblestone on two legs, one hand, and her other hand with the spear behind her back, with her spine nimbly curved like a cat, and her chest  & chin barely touching the ground.

* * *

Meanwhile, the fire elf that Scarlet had summoned jumped and hopped, shoulder to shoulder, occasionally making larger leaps into the air, firing arrows straight between the eyes, while Scarlet stood her ground against a myriad of skeletons in armor. She stomped against the earth with a foot threateningly in a war call.

"HAVE AT YE!" Scarlet roared, gathering the old Avalonian warrior hype within her.

The wizardly swordswoman charged up to a skeletal warrior. The armored bones attempted to strike down at the approached pyromancer with his blade. However, Scarlet dived in towards the skeleton's feet. Her knees and chin barely met as she was in a position to suddenly spring upwards, headbutting the skeleton's sword-hand, sending his blade flying into the dark sky. With no spare second, Scarlet grabbed hold of the skeleton's bony neck, and shoved the point of her fiery sword through his breastplate and into his ribcage, twisting it around to overkill the skeleton for assurance. Another idea sprang up in her that quarter-of-a-second, and Scarlet hoisted the skeleton up onto her forearm, with the Cinderblade still in the skeletal warrior, making him Scarlet's makeshift phalanx shield. With her new addition to a temporary arsenal, Scarlet charged forward with her bodyshield, bashing aside any foes in the way.

"RRRRRRAAAAAAAAAGH!" Scarlet shouted.

Once the pyromancer was right in the middle of the skeletal swarm, Scarlet dived, mashing her skeleton-shield into the ground, with her palm on the armor of her skeletal bodyshield. The remaining momentum sent her legs and feet to point to the sky, and Scarlet's arm pushed her away, to send the fire wizard into a series of cartwheels and somersaults, pulling off gymnastic feats one after another for about four times, until Scarlet finally stopped with her feet into the ground, and her body crouched down like a frog with arms out. With sudden energy, Scarlet launched herself eight feet into the sky, drawing a fire rune with her blazing sword. Her free hand drew two red spellcards from her deck.

"Cinder Summoning:" the fire wizard chanted. "Firecat Litter!"

The first card she drew turned into a small wisp that stored itself within Scarlet's sword of fire, specifically within her wand, from which the Cinderblade Cutlass was formed.

Scarlet reached the peak of her superhuman jump, and then started to fall. As she began to near the earth, Scarlet raised her sword behind her opposite shoulder, in preparation to make a full circle slash. Scarlet raised the second spellcard in front of her, one that was trimmed with glimmering gold: a treasure card.

"Flame Arts: Scald!"

Right before Scarlet impacted with the ground, she put all of her strength into swinging her sword, with enough power to make her spin in a crescent. Her sword, slashed through the Scald treasure card. From a distance, Scarlet was like a meteor, that crashed into the ground. However, right before impact, an immense firestorm blazed into full flower, blasting away surrounding skeletal warriors in a tsunami of intense, metal-melting fire. And within the large waves of fire, were five firecats, leaping with the fire in separate directions from Scarlet.

The burst of big flames immediately disappeared with the blast, leaving behind a fog of smoke. After a while, the smoke lifted to reveal Scarlet and her five firecats, with the skeletons that once surrounded her, now defeated and left at a distance from the fire wizard due to the blast. However, fire still ate at the affected skeletons' armor and bones, disintegrating them up. Other skeletons nearby stared at the aftermath, and Scarlet stomped towards them, like a menacing bear, only less fur and a hell lot skinnier.

"RRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAH!" she challenged.

After issuing a banner of war towards the remaining enemies, Scarlet was left panting with a wild smirk on her face, only to be broken as the fire elf from before, descended from the sky, landing on Scarlet's shoulder.

"Oh," Scarlet said, trying to catch her breath. "How much did you shoot down?"

The fire elf scratched his tiny, black goatee, and raised up all of his fingers, and waved them around wildly as if he were poking spots in the air, ten times each with each jab at the air.

"Uuuh," Scarlet stared.

The pyromancer managed a sigh, and a smile.

"I'll take that as a lot."

* * *

Not far away, Molly noticed Scarlet's aggressive behavior, raising an eyebrow at the sight with a tone of concern. She winced as the area lit up in brightness from Scarlet's reckless firestorm, and her hair waved in air away from the direction of the explosion, as burning bones and metal armor flew past the life wizard harmlessly. Behind her, skeletons that were yet to attack, targeted onto Molly. However, she barely bats an eyelash, as she drew a green card from her deck. It glows with an illuminant green resonance, whilst a life rune drew itself behind her.

"Hmm," Molly observed Scarlet with slight surprise. "The novice is much stronger than I had imagined…"

Without looking, Molly strutted a right hand towards the impending skeletal warriors, and recited the name of her next spell.

"Woodland Arts: Rampant Growth."

The brigade of skeletons that charged for Molly crashed and bumped into her other in their attempts to stop. Vines sprouted out of the ground, wriggling like tentacles, and lashed out to first few of them in the front of the charge, grasping them at their limbs and hung them in the air. The skeletons caught by the vines were dangling around, until more vines took, hold of more of their limbs. The plant tendrils pull their arms and legs out slowly, producing cries of excruciating pain from the skeletons, until their skeletal bodies popped or tore apart. The other unaffected skeletons watched in horror, as they watched their undead brethren's' bones dangle around from the tenticular vines. Without warning, a giant, green plant with lips, erupted out from the ground where the vines sprouted. It was like a fat maw of like a bear's that grew from the center of a colossal flower. It had fang-like thorns, and a dark violet-red tongue, with a sweet scent for its breath, strangely. It ate up the dismembered skeletons that hung around, put into the plant's mouth like the vines were its hands. Molly paid no attention to her monstrosity of a plant, as she prepared another spellcard for more skeletons to tear apart. Her mind was still thinking about how Scarlet fought.

"I don't suppose I have ever seen anyone use spells like that," Molly thought to herself.

One skeletal warrior leapt at the theurgist with a raised sword. Before he came within range of harming Molly, the card in her hand resonated with mana. An arcane summoning circle appeared below the skeleton, and a blonde lady with pluming wings in a white toga-like dress, shot up from the summoning circle, skewering the skeletal warrior with a green broadsword. The newly summoned seraph lady swiped her sword to the side, whipping the skeleton away from her blade. Without a command, the seraph went on to battle more undead, while Molly took a breath in preparation for the next approaching foe. Again, a warrior rushed towards the life wizard, but she stomped the end of her staff into the ground. A magic circle glowed beneath the skeleton, and he was suspended in mid-air. The theurgist took light, casual steps towards the skeletal warrior, bound in light, and poked him with her staff.

Without the need of a card, Molly smiled with the spell's recital on her tongue, "Woodland Arts: Death Bloom."

Out from her spiral-topped staff, wood grew from its tip. It pierced through the skeleton's armor like a syringe, injecting a seed that later grew to the size of a large pebble which rolled around within the skeleton's armor and ribcage.

"Woodland Arts: Life Shield," Molly whispered.

A green, translucent forcefield came into existence by absorbing the surrounding air of its existence, in preparation for what was to happen. The skeleton in front of Molly let out panicked sounds, feeling his ribcage expand. Spikes sprouted out from the black steel armor, until the whole torso of the unfortunate skeletal warrior bursted, releasing a flurry blast of red, poison-tipped thorns. As for the thorns headed for Molly's direction, the were stopped by the life shield the theurgist had casted. White cracks appeared in the life shield. Light shined out of the cracks, and the life shield gave up its structure, falling away like glass, and the pieces disintegrated like a sand caste that grew too dry.

"Reconsider your strategy, dear," Molly smiled, as the magic circle suspending the skeleton in the air disappeared, and the skeleton fell, landing on the ground like a ragdoll.

From the corner of Molly's eye, she noticed Ashley fighting through the locks of her brown hair. The Balance wizard barely broke a sweat, as she blindly, yet precisely cast spells, while spinning her magic spear around, knocking away any skeletons that dared come near.

One armored skeleton managed to get up close and personal with Ashley, slashing with his sword across the sorcerer's abdomen. However, Ashley dodges, leaning sharply to the left side in a sideways position, bringing her opposite leg to swing at the temple of the skeleton's helmet. Her opponent stumbled back slightly, trying to regain his sense of direction. To his bane, Ashley was quick, to a scary extent. She pulled back her right foot from where she hit the skeleton harshly to set her body to make rotate clockwise on a foot. Mid-spin, a card shot up from her sleeve and into her magical _guandao_ , being ready to cast as she brought back the blunt end of her spear to sweep the skeleton off his feet, making his head hit the ground with a crack.

"Sand Summoning: Locust Swarm!"

Elegant fingers kept dancing around the _Kamakari's_ shaft, making the spear twirl in a circle. Magical dust like sand leaked from the tip of the spear as it circled like a propeller, appearing as if Ashley held a golden shield. She jolted her arm down, driving the spearhead into the ground, and the spear let its magical luster sink into the cobblestone.

The skeleton that hit his head manage to regain his senses, and turned his eyes away from the ground to spot high-heeled combat boots clacking on the ground. Their steps were carrying Ashley back, as she wore a smirk. The skeleton noticed Ashley's backstepping accelerate, until she made little hops, hopping backwards onto a stone fence. The skeleton growled and grumbling, and attempted to get up, but as he tried to support himself up with his arms, the armored bones felt his fingers sink into the ground.

"What?" he snapped.

The skeletal warrior soon realized, that he was sinking into sand—Quicksand. It was a shame Ashley wasn't able to see her magical works, but she could definitely recognize how the mana in her sands, expand from sidewalk to sidewalk of the street, as large as a small crater. The mana of sands warped and swirled into a singularity of the quicksand's center, and Ashley could definitely sense the motions of each cloud and nebula made of mana. Slowly, its diameter grew like an opening sinkhole, swallowing surrounding units of the skeletal legion.

Once she had the skeletons within her sandy grasp, Ashley mustered a smirk, and produced a spellcard from her deck. It floats around, guided in the air between her palms, beginning to radiate with a low, but ominously powerful light.

"Desert Arts: Sandstorm," she chanted formally.

From her left side, the pleasure of a cool breeze raised the tiny hairs on Ashley's arms, while a warm flow of air came from the right of Ashley. To her blind eyes, she could see the mana in the winds come together and collide, mixing and swirling to create a howling tornado of sand. Skeletons were caught up in the winds and gusts, being unable to resist the whirlwind's sucking forces, going around like they were in a washing machine. Soon, over half of the skeletal forces were in Ashley's hands.

Subsequently, the sound of growling reached her ears. Lurching and grumbling sounds of Molly's giant carnivorous plant spell could be heard by the Balance wizard, sparking another idea. Whipping out yet another leathery-tan spellcard, it was wedged between Ashley's fingers, and the Mooshuan lashed her arm out, shooting the card towards the center of the quicksand whirlpool below the raging sand tornado. However, the tornado did not last long as Ashley retrieved her mana back from the Sandstorm spell, and focused it into the spellcard she had just thrown. The card slipped right into the bowels of the quicksand, and the entirety of the sandy whirlpool had a Balance rune glowing slightly above it. Ashley took a deep breath, and closed her eyes.

"Sand Summoning: Antlion!"

It wasn't long until the sand tornado lost its strength gradually. One by one, sometimes two by two, the skeletons descended from the dispelled sandstorm with flailing limbs, plopping into the swirling quicksand. Within the cracks and crevices of the Dark Cave's cobblestone roads, the pebbles and small rocks bounced around, jitterly shaking around in response to the ground rumbling, as if an earthquake growled below the world's surface. Oversized mandibles, like they were part of a beetle, erupted out of Ashley's quicksand spell. The slit-like mouth of a giant antlion larvae emerged out from the conic center of the quicksand, which was turning more into a death trap of loose sand dune. The skeletons caught in the trap scrambled to climb out, but their bony fingers had no chance at digging into the loose sand, plus the steep descent of the conic, sandy deathtrap. Green, caustic fluids splurged out from the mouth of the buried antlion, while its mandibles moved around unnaturally, piercing into skeletons in an attempt to inject poison into their fleshless bodies. As soon as the acidic goo from the antlion covered the skeletons, their armor rotted and was eaten away, and their bones, their entirety, melted into greenish, milky messes of digested and deconstructed bones, ready for the antlion to drink up. Other skeletons not affected by the acid, found their selves in the mouth of the antlion anyways, to be crushed and munched on by the giant, living trap.

" _Never let the myriads reach you_ ," Ashley recited an old poem of battle. " _Conquer them with no chance to strike back_."

Warm airs of tension gathered up in the Mooshuan's lungs, and she released it as a gracious sigh, being relieved of battle. Subconsciouly, her antlion spell finished its meal and disintegrated in divine light to be carried away in the wind as dust, while the quicksand solidified back into cobblestone.

"I must rejoin with the others," Ashley set her next objective.

* * *

"Hah… Hah…"

Scarlet let out a short _whew_ , pulling her sword out of the back of a fallen foe. No worries clouded her mind at the moment, assured by the sound of her firecats gnawing the limbs of her enemies, or breathing intensely hot air at them until the skeletons decide to be ashes for a day. Her fire elf sat on her wizard's hat, crushing the top in with his behind, while firing arrows in a steady tempo.

At this point, she was like a trash clean-up crew, disposing of any stray skeletons.

"That was easier than I thought," Scarlet scratched her cheek. "Well, after pulling off that sick move earlier, of couse."

Her Cinderblade Cutlass disappeared into the whispering winds, leaving behind only her wand with the silk-wrapped grip. She brought the tip up to her lips in thought.

"I'mma name that move… Spitfire Rose."

She dropped a fist into her palm.

"Yeah! That's a nice name."

"You name your techniques?" Molly questioned.

Scarlet glanced over her shoulder, to the familiar sound of a friendly, breezy voice.

"Oh, it's the Life cutie," she blurted.

Molly blushed at the words. "What?"

"You're done with your portion of the fun?"

Molly nodded, and her eyes turned to an approaching Ashley.

"And here is the prefect of the Peregrines," Molly narrated.

Strands of Scarlet's blonde hair hung around in front of her. Her forehead was sticky with sweat, and the pyromancer's breath was still heavy through her nose. Glancing at Ashley, Scarlet could also see that the sorcerer too broke a sweat, but she didn't seem as tired. Molly didn't show any fatigue at all, like she swept through the waves effortlessly.

"You know…" Scarlet raised a brow, "I can't help but think we're forgetting something."

"Something big," Ashley nodded towards Scarlet, "Something bold."

"I was wondering when you guys are going to notice that one big guy," Molly said plainly with her breezy voice.

"One big guy?" Scarlet asked.

Off to the side, some last few skeletons hobbled up to the scene, ready to fight, despite seeing their brothers being sliced, burned, ripped, and eaten. These guys were different however. Their swords were more balanced, and longer. Their white and black steel armor had gold trimmings and designs. The look on their eyelid-less eyes were confident, being able to stand their ground. If the other skeletons were mere privates, these guys were officers.

"One big guy?" Scarlet questioned once more. "I just see more normal skeletons. I mean, like they look tougher, but what are you pointing at-"

A low, garish voice roared, and the few skeletons that had their swordpoints set on the three wizards, were swept away like ragdolls with a jet black kite shield.

"YOU DEGENERATES ARE ALL WORTHLESS!" the voice boomed again.

"Oi…" Scarlet's eyebrow twitched, "Is this that one dude who was real big?"

"I told you," Molly mumbled.

From before, the Hulking Skeleton took ground-shaking steps towards the wizard girls, dragging a thick, monging sword in his right hand, and keeping his towering shield in front of him.

"All you wimpy wizards were supposed to be our playthings, our live dummies to spill blood with," the Hulking Skeleton growled.

"You know…" Scarlet started. "I feel we should name this guy."

"Like what?" Molly blinked.

"What are you guys doing?" Ashley hissed.

Scarlet smiled with her choice. "Let's name him Dan."

Lo and behold, the Hulking Skeleton is now: Dan.

"WHY DO YOU ALWAYS IGNORE ME?" Dan roared.

"Hey, he's mad," Scarlet grinned.

"STOP THIS INSUFFERING ARROGANCE!" Dan gritted his teeth. "I WILL SLAY YOU ALL!"

Ashley, Molly, and Scarlet stared at the Hulking Skeleton- I mean Dan, with silence.

"Man, we didn't want to have beef with you," Scarlet groaned. "We came in here looking for something, and you pricks decide to attack us like, come on. That's just rude."

"Well I'm sorry," Dan said with a more thoughtful tone. "We Undead have a reputation to uphold- STOP THIS SMALL TALK! I WILL SCALP YOU THREE FROM HEAD TO TOE, AND MAKE IT AS OUR WAR BANNER, AS WE CONQUER WIZARD CITY!"

Despite Dan's shouting and yelling, Molly still talked unfazed to her friends like this was a casual occasion.

"Hey, you think we accidently missed the Runed Skull as we were fighting?"

Suddenly, Dan the Hulking Skeleton tensed, and he lowered his head like he was grinning.

"So you three are looking for the Runed Skull?" Dan questioned ominously.

"Why yes," Scarlet said. "It'd be great if you could help us out."

"You fools."

Dan tore off his helmet, and revealed his head: a skull with gems embedded into it. One big red one was on top, while glittering emeralds were studded onto his temple. Jaspers and sapphires integrated the back of his skull finely, and small diamonds replaced the pupils for his brown eyes.

"I _AM_ THE RUNED SKULL!"

"Whoa, Dan is the Runed Skull?" Scarlet remarked.

"Nolan Stormgate never said anything about this," Molly whispered.

"YOU FOOLS, I AM NOT DAN. I AM DIOCLES, CHAMPION OF THE OLD OPHIDIANS. YOU SHALL GREET ME WITH HUMBLE HONOR, YOU FOOLS!"

Lo and behold, the Hulking Skeleton, who was renamed Dan, is now known to be the Champion of the Ophidian snakes, Diocles-

"Dan suits you better," Scarlet butted in.

Nevemind. His name is still Dan.

"YOU FOOLS DARE TO MAKE A FOOL OUT OF ME?" Dan outraged.

"He says 'fool' a lot," Ashley spoke up. "Takes one to know one?"

"Aha, nice," Molly snickered.

Dan couldn't take anymore of the wizards' disregard, and he gritted his teeth, with a grumble in his non-existent throat. For a second, his voice cracked, but he charged towards the three girls with murderous rage.

"NOTICE ME!" Dan roared.

Scarlet stared blankly at Dan. "Wow, someone is desperate-"

The fire wizard's words were cut off suddenly, and her body was kicked out of the way, along with Molly. The pyromancer's eyes widened. Her eyes looked back as she flew backwards in the air. Time seemed to slow for Scarlet. She realized that it was Ashley who knocked her and Molly out of the way. The sorcerer then turned towards Dan, who was charging towards her. Scarlet stared at the scene, as Ashley raised her spear in preparation to stop Dan's devastating body with a block. However, time sped back up, and Scarlet's behind met the cobblestone, sliding backwards on the ground forcefully. It was kind of painful, to have your butt grind on the ground from the force of a kick. Then, a pounding force met Scarlet's chest. She found herself hugging onto Molly, who too was knocked out of the way by Ashley. Together, they shot backwards, until Scarlet stopped abruptly up against a stone wall of an abandoned cottage.

"ACK!" Scarlet gasped from the impact.

For a few seconds, the fire wizard's lungs collapsed, and she struggled to regain her breath. Her arms tightened around Molly, while the Life wizard was constricted against Scarlet's chest.

"Are you okay?" Molly's eyes widened.

"I-I'm-" Scarlet coughed and wheezed. "I-I'm fine…"

It took Scarlet a while, but she managed the impact, and took grasp of her own breath once more. However, that short period of relief ended. Scarlet glanced up, and she spotted Ashley struggling against Dan, and his titanic force.

"She stopped his charge," Molly marvels.

Scarlet stared at Ashley. The balance wizard had her spear grinding against Dan's shield, while her feet dug into the ground. The legs were trembling, and Ashley let out a cry of agony.

"Ashley!" Scarlet shouted.

There was no way a human could hold against such a crushing force. Scarlet could tell that Ashley's legs struggled against Dan's strength. At this point, the Balance wizard used enough leg muscles to just block the skeleton's charge, and now she is forced to keep her ground. If Ashley tries to stop and move out of the way, there would be no leg strength to shoot the sorcerer out of there in time before she gets demolished into the ground with Dan's humongous shield. Scarlet knew that Ashley's legs had already been broken from trying to stand her ground, but even now, she displayed resistance.

Though the pain of her crushed lower legs burned, Ashley still managed to pull something off.

"Spirits, heed my call," she chanted. "Fourth Taushura Spirit: Monkey Stance."

The magical spear in Ashley's hold gained a green aura, which radiated with the power of the forest. The mana of the monkey's spirit surged from the _guandao_ , streamed through her arms, body, and finished at her legs. Gradually, she could feel the life magic wash over her muscles like soothing freshwater from a stream. Her crushed tibias and fibias regenerated as well in a miraculous rate. Taking the opportunity, Ashley summoned all of her strength to cast Dan's towering shield to the side, and escape his crushing force. Dan stumbled back a few steps, his arms wobbling around to regain balance. His spine was curved back, and the skeleton's eyes face the sky, until the image of Ashley's stern face entered the view.

"Gah!" Dan exclaimed.

The Mooshuan bounced onto the titanic skeleton's breastplate like a frog, with her spear raised above her head. With the aim to pierce her _guandao_ down into Dan, Ashley's eyes widened with the will to kill, and pulled her savage spear down into the skeleton. Seeing the whole scene, Molly smiled with her mouth open, and raised a fist to cheer on her upperclassmate.

"Go Ashley-"

Her words halted.

Instead of bringing down the death-dealing strike, Dan the Hulking Skeleton's swordhand released itself from the hilt of his blade to grab at Ashley. _Kamakari_ was whisked away from the Balance wizard's hands, and she found herself helpless, being unable to cast a spell. This was the first time Ashley wasn't able to do anything, with Dan's bony fingers curled around her like she was a life-sized figurine.

Ashley wiggled and squirmed in the grasp, but instead, Dan squeezed on her body, making Ashley cry out, "Grah!"

Dan let out a short chuckle, and whipped his arm, sending Ashley flying and crashing into a dead tree with deadly velocity. Ashley's body bounced off the bark, and her head was jolted in an awkward way, with her eyes staring aimlessly into the sky in that slow second. Blood gushed out of her maw in a short spurt, along with a choking sound.

"ASHLEY!" Molly screamed after her friend.

Dan wasn't done. He was just getting started. To ensure that Ashley wouldn't recover, the hulking skeleton lobbed his kite shield towards Ashley.

Molly could only flinch. The sound of a heavy thud reached her ear. A shaky breath crawled from Molly's throat, and she slowly forced herself to turned her head back to Ashley. All she could see was a large, black and white steel shield, with Ashley's body under it, robbed of any movement, and blood leaked from under the scene. One heartbeat shook Molly's entire body, and her eyes trembled in fear.

"A-Ashe..."

The Life wizard's hand reached out towards her friend, with that last remaining drops of hope about to drip from her fingernails. However, her hand was pushed down by another, one that poked out of white blouse sleeve.

It was Scarlet's hand.

"Don't waste any time," she would urge into Molly's ear. "Get off me and get your staff. Go check on Ashley."

For a second, Molly couldn't react, so Scarlet pushed her away, and helped her up onto her feet.

"Go!" Scarlet pointed to the shield that was on Ashley.

The Life wizard, drained of her composure, nodded unconsciously, and her head moved around semi-frantically, trying to find where her staff went when she was knocked away. Meanwhile, Scarlet stepped forward, raising her sword of fire towards Dan.

"You!" Scarlet growled with sudden anger.

Dan turned his head back to Scarlet. The skeleton lowered his head down like he was grinning. And so, Dan took his broadsword, dragging it on the cobblestone as he stepped towards Scarlet. In turn, the pyromancer approached in the same manner. Five firecats _whooshed_ into existence in blooms of flames behind her, without Scarlet having to utter a single chant from a spellcard.

Dan started to quicken his pace.

Scarlet did the same.

Dan roared in battle. "FACE ME, PUNY FOE!"

"LET ME RIP YOUR HEAD OFF! _"_ Scarlet screamed in return.

Deep inside, Scarlet held some guilt for joking about Dan, making her friends become off guard. It was her fault Ashley took heavy damage, and anger sparked within her. She was mad at Dan, she was mad that he hurt Ashley, but most of all, she was mad at herself. With her anger geared towards to both Dan and herself, she molded the anger into rage.

"DAMN IT!"

Rage, which was meant to release in the form of bloodthirsty murder.

Scarlet mustered her fury within her lungs, and let it out. "GRAAAAAAAAAH!"

Dan roared back, as they both charged for each other. Scarlet leaped a great distance, raising her Cinderblade Cutlass to bring down. The edge of Dan's sword blocked the incoming strike, and Scarlet grinded blades with him, using her gravitational velocity for force, as well as staying in the air for a while longer, as the firecats that were summoned behind Scarlet pounced onto Dan. They bit and gnawed onto the hulking skeleton's arms and legs, growling and hissing out hot air.

Using the opportunity made by the firecats holding Dan's body still, Scarlet jerked her hips upwards into the air, having it orbit in an angle over Dan's sword before bouncing off, corkscrewing above the skeletal warrior and landing a ways behind him.

Seeing his back exposed, Scarlet made a wild expression: a mix of a grin of lunacy, and teeth-gritting with her cheeks pulled back. The fire wizard rushed towards the skeleton with her fire sword, ready to thrust into Dan's back. At the same time, Dan managed to shake off and brutally swing the firecats away and into the ground, dispelling them into nonexistence, becoming ready to meet Scarlet's incoming assault. He raised his thick blade into the sky, to be brought down on Scarlet. The pyromancer was in range, and spotted his counterattack, so she raised her Cinderblade.

The blades clashed.

It was cold steel, against a blade of torrenting cinders and fire.

Scarlet's biceps were at full force. Her knees buckled.

The worst came into full bloom.

Scarlet's sword of fire started to fail. The edge of Dan's broadsword, slowly started to inch into her blade. Cracks appeared in her magical sword of fire, releasing bits of light.

In an instant, the cold blade cut right through the Cinderblade Cutlass. It cut right through Scarlet's wand.

The pyromancer's eyes widened.

The skeleton's sword found itself deep into Scarlet's shoulder.

Blood gushed out.

The fire wizard's amber eyes shook, and her pupil retracted.

The blade dug deeper, forcing in halfway into her right chest.

Unimaginable pain busted within Scarlet's mind, but her lips couldn't produce a single sound. Her eyes trembled to the lower right, seeing the blood seep from her flesh. The sword chopped deep into her body between her neck and shoulder, down to her right chest. A flash of the gory image appeared to Scarlet's eyes. She was unable to comprehend the bisected bones and muscles. The marrow was visible, and fear broke into the fire wizard's mind.

Her mind was a mess of panic and franticy, and many urges were sent down to Scarlet's lungs.

 _Scream,_ Scarlet thought.

_SCREAM!_

And so she did, unleashing a bloodcurdling shriek of harrowing pain.

From a few yards away, Molly finally managed to get her fingers onto her staff, until that very scream reached her ears.

She twisted her head around, and distraught entered her viridian eyes.

There was no way Scarlet could survive.


	23. Wizards of Mass Destruction

After being blasted with sparking electricity, a ghoul in a torn suit came rolling on the wet cobblestone, until it barreled off the curb of the cul-de-sac, and pummeled into a pond, where frogs croaked and a watermill slowly churned. Emily Stormheart's eyes softened after defeating her twenty-eighth Rotting Fodder. A slow sigh huffed quietly out from the diviner's lips, blowing away the strands of her violet-coloured hair from her face. In her left hand, she held an open grimoire, which was filled with cartoonish doodles of Storm magic flashing out of a wizard's hands. Her other hand held a finely-crafted wand: a steel rod with a crystal rain guard, and a lavender silk grip. Small crackles of lightning still wiggled and blinked around her wand-hand, but they soon faded as Emily let go of her Spark spell. So far, defeating ghouls took almost no effort. It was a breeze, and nothing significant was noticed from fighting the Rotting Fodders. The diviner had a bored look in her eyes, watching the skies of Triton Avenue above. The sky here was forever destined to be overcast with ominous rainclouds that doesn't rain often, but regularly. The refreshing scent of freshwater seabreeze was always in the air, and it seemed to calm the purple-haired Storm wizard, but all that changed when she felt a vibrating in her alchemy satchel. A questioning hum sounded from her lips as she noticed, and Emily slipped her wand into her grimoire like a bookmark, and her hand slipped into the satchel. Fishing around, her fingers curled around a small, smooth, round sphere, that vibrated in frequent pulses. She pulls out a crystal ball, which grew larger into a size of a volleyball.

"Cori," Emily blinked. "Anything to report?"

An image of an adolescent girl with a tan complexion and deep lilac hair flickered in the crystal ball.

"Nothin' here, Em!" Cori hollered. "These here ghouls are all just the same, yea!"

The young wizard glanced up, showing the underside of her chin and crook.

"Plus…"

Cori was glancing at Emily from about a few yards away.

"I didn't even notice I was nearby!" she giggled.

Emily formed an impatient glare towards Cori. The crystalvision flickered into static, and then turned off as the crystal ball shrunk back into Emily's hand.

"Wow," Emily muttered. "You owe me a mana potion later."

Cori grinned half-apologizing, half-mischievously at her student mentor, as her crystal ball receded into her own palm.

"Sorry, ye mad goose," Cori hummed.

"You know we can't waste a lot of mana," Emily groaned.

The master strategist's eyebrows then perked up.

"Oh yes, we have to check on Shuie and Adrian as well, if they encountered anything."

Emily motioned for Cori to come, and she ordered her subordinate to call Shui-Lei's crystal ball via crystalvision. For a while, the image was just a ball, floating above the words, 'Calling: shy nerd,' while a short, repeating tune played.

"You have Shuie in your contact as 'shy nerd?'" Emily questioned.

"That's what she is, yea," Cori muttered sheepishly.

Emily grinded her knuckles on top of Cori's head, making the subordinate storm wizard to dawdle around in pain. Continuous squeals of light pain managed out of Cori's mouth, until the two finally received an image in the crystal ball. It showed a girl of oriental origin, clothed in white lab coat-like clothes: Shui-Lei Stormflower. She was moving around frantically. Her black braided pig-tails jiggled in the air. Her large round glasses still perfectly sat on her face without any awkward adjustments, somehow. The view shook in Shui-Lei's hand, and a streak of a grey and yellow creature _wooshed_ past her.

"Wait…" Emily observed intently. "Was that a storm snake?"

"You know-" Shui-Lei hollered through the crystalvision call. "-This is really a bad time!"

"It seem ye folks' havin' a bit of trouble!" Cori commented.

"Y-Yes!" Shui-Lei nodded, while firing a bolt of Divination out of her wand. "Qu-Quite a bit of trouble, Cori!"

"What's going on?" Emily asked. "Report!"

"The ghouls are using S-Storm magic!" the Mooshuan said.

Both Emily and Cori's eyes widened, and they spoke in unison, "What?"

The view of Shui-Lei suddenly jerked, and the image stopped moving around. It seemed like Shui-Lei's crystal ball dropped onto the curb of the street, only showing the detailed cracks of the cobblestone. Cori's hand turned her crystal ball to shift the view, and it displayed a moving picture of Shui-Lei fighting off-screen.

"Storm Summoning: M-Mechanical Menace!" the Storm wizard's voice sounded.

Suddenly, a round, buff body of golden copper ran past from left to right. There was a thumping noise, followed by a croak of a ghoul, and a Rotting Fodder flew across the screen from right to left.

Next, another ghoul stumbled backwards into the view of the crystalvision call. A white-haired person in dark, fine nobleman's clothes came after. It was Adrian Kensington. The ghoul recovered from its backwards stagger, and charged forward to swing a shovel at Adrian. The Ice wizard foresaw the frontal attack, and raised his cane to block the attack. His left elbow crept back, and his fingers curled backwards with erratic, uncontrolled movements, concentrating ice magic in his palms. With that, he pushed the ghoul back with an empowered thrust forward into the stomach. The silver-haired Ice wizard was left panting.

The next second, a storm snake shot into view behind the fallen ghoul in a mid-air strike with its electrified fangs. However, Adrian threw the ghoul's corpse up, making it collide with the snake. Like a dart, the storm snake pierced right through the body with no effort, hissing with chirping Storm magic. Adrian ducked and grabbed at the snake with his bare hands, somehow able to resist and neutralize the cloak of electricity the serpent was bathed in. The storm snake was as large as a cougar, so Adrian's fingers had to dig into the snake's underbody like claws. Blood dribbled down his fingers, and drops speckled his hand with crimson red. He was successful at getting hold of the storm snake, and his other hand grasped near the serpent's tail end. The next move was quick and finishing: Adrian flipped backwards while still holding the snake in the sky to align his legs onto the serpent's body. His legs were pulled in, and they straightened out in a flash, having his oxford shoes jab into the storm snake's scales like a spear. His hands pulled the snake's neck and tail back the opposite direction, as Adrian's feet pressed outwards, severely stretching out the snake, until its body tore, and Adrian was left in mid-air, with two halves of a storm snake in his hands. Cori and Emily gawked at the brutal scene, while Adrian landed on his back, and sprung forward onto his feet. He threw away the torn storm snake and picked up his walking cane. Some of the blood managed to get into his hair, and turned his white mane into streaks of pink. Scales of the brutally bifurcated storm snake started to flake off like fragile, floaty petals colored silver, yellow, and lavender. Pretty soon, the snake's body lit up into a bright snow, disintegrating away with Triton Avenue's latent gales, while the blood mixed into Adrian's hair steamed off until his hair was pristine white and silver once again.

"Holy Sudri," Cori's eyes widened. "Did ye see that, Em? Big Bro's like a jailbroke mongoose!"

"How could I not see that?" Emily snapped. "And what's with you and geese?"

The Rotting Fodder from before came back into the view of the call, and tried once again to attack Adrian with its shovel. With seemingly tough endurance, Adrian caught the incoming shovel from his left with his hand, and ripped it away from the ghoul's hands. Up next, Adrian molded a fist to throw a hard slug down the ghoul's face, and again from below its chin. He was single-handedly beating up a ghoul with a brawling hand. One final punch to the nose caused the ghoul to fall back, but Adrian reached out his right arm, extending his walking cane to catch the Rotting Fodder's neck by the crook of the cane. After a warring yell, Adrian pulled the ghoul back towards him to drive a devastating knee up the ghoul's chin. Giving the undead summon no chance to recover, Adrian repeatedly struck at the ghoul from all sides with his cane, brutally smashing up the almost-lifeless ghoul, until he finally drove the cane's handle up the ghoul's stomach, raising him into the sky.

"Now!" Adrian called.

Suddenly, Shui-Lei's voice suddenly came into a full-volume recital, "Fulminating Arts: Galvanic Bolt!"

A dark shape partly blocked the view of the crystalvision call, and in a split second; disappeared into a dark violet high-heeled boot that ran forward with its pairing boot. Shui-Lei held her wand like she was ready to throw it. Around the upper half of her wand, a ball of lavender and sea-green electricity swirled and crackled dangerously. It was unlike of Shui-Lei and her bashful personality to be able to have such a frontal approach of the situation, but the diviner casted her Galvanic Bolt with only a shred of evident hesitance. Her arm swung ahead in an arc, whipping the ball of storm magic at the ghoul. The spell flowed like a wispy blob of floating water as it was thrown. The ghoul's torn black suit lit up into white when the Galvanic Bolt impacted his body, and it drove the undead's body off of Adrian's cane-head. Clouds seemed to clear up the way as the Rotting Fodder flew above the skyline and far away to who knows where. In the distant skies, the Galvanic Bolt detonated, and there was an outburst of lavender and blue-green voltaic cataclysm. There was a two second delay, and a deep, deafening boom of bass-amped thunder shook the entirety of Triton Avenue.

Adrian's eyes were slightly surprised at the distant display of destructive power, and turned to Shui-Lei.

"Wow, that was one dangerous spell," Adrian commented naively. "I like it."

Shui-Lei's right foot twisted into the ground, while she timidly holds her wand by her neck with both of her hands.

"R-Really?" she asked anticipated.

Adrian gave her one of his simple nods with a childishly pure smile.

"Don't you think that was a bit of an overkill?" Emily spoke loudly into the call so that Shui-Lei could hear from little aways.

Shui-Lei's head turned around like a groundhog's, trying to scout for Emily's voice, until she spotted the crystal ball she dropped with Emily and Cori's faces in it. She trotted over with slightly swinging hands to pick up the ball with clumsy fingers.

"That one ghoul we fought was extremely t-tough," Shui-Lei briefed. "No matter how many times we casted our spells, we couldn't do s-squat."

Adrian poked his head into the call. "Especially for me. I could only cast a few spells before my magic failed me."

"That's when we figured out that ph-physical attacks worked against the ghoul," Shui-Lei added. "The Rotting Fodder had a powerful magical barrier around him, so needed _Adrian_ - _san_ to weaken ghoul."

Cori figured out the rest. "So the ghoul couldn't focus on the barrier, and ye could give the final shot!"

Emily's hand grabbed the top of Cori's head, ruffling her hair.

"Smart," Emily complimented her subordinate, and then turned back to Adrian and Shui-Lei. "Galvanic Bolt is a really powerful magus spell when charged up. I didn't know you had it in ye, Shuie. Still, that was overkill."

"I couldn't m-measure the lengths of the barrier," Shui-Lei explained. "I needed a surefire way to get r-rid of the ghoul."

Emily still had something on her mind. "Hmm… Hey, earlier, you said the ghouls could use magic."

"S-Storm magic," Shui-Lei confirmed. "We're still looking into it. We encountered f-five of them, c-counting the one we just fought. The other four we managed s-somewhat okay with, because they didn't have the same magical b-barrier."

Emily's look turned grim, and she cleared her throat. "Alright then, I understand the situation. We're starting an investigation. Cori and I will move to your location shortly."

Shui-Lei had a relieved look in her eyes, while Adrian nodded like he knew what was going on after gazing off elsewhere.

"Make it quick," Adrian added.

"Why?" Cori blinked.

Abruptly, Adrian's hand grabbed hold of a ghoul's face that popped in without warning, stopping it from biting onto Shui-Lei's shoulder. Shui-Lei herself held still, shaking with tense horror and widened eyes.

"We aren't in the clear. We've some company, mates," Adrian muttered as he turned around.

His strong grip dragged the ghoul he was holding to his side, as Adrian narrowed his eyes onto the new batch of Rotting Fodders, while Shui-Lei started to face the same way, not really doing so quickly, as she was already nervous about rotting faces.

"Rendezvous with haste," Adrian urged calmly.

"What _Adrian-san_ said," Shui-Lei stammered.

The Mooshuan closed the crystalvision call and shrunk the crystal ball back into her alchemy satchel, while raising a wand.

"Are you sure you don't need a m-mana potion?" Shui-Lei asked Adrian.

The thaumaturge shook his head. "Mana is not the problem. All I can do now is fizzle."

 _I can't even use the Advanced Wand System in this state, where my mana control is still shaky and I'm unable to maintain form,_ Adrian thought. _I can't use Dorothy_02 to control the Wand System, since Dorothy needs resting… All I can do is use mana for strengthening._

Adrian bit his lip.

"Shui-Lei."

The storm wizard beside Adrian turned to him, being slightly surprised. "Y-Yes?"

"I will have to rely on brawling," he planned. "I know we have never fought together in collaboration, that's why I need you to focus on what I do. The same goes for me. Teamwork is crucial."

Shui-Lei stared at Adrian, quickly stealing a look at the approaching undead. Their steps were slow and grisly.

The diviner nodded. "Alright. Wh-What do you propose?"

"Use your spells to block off incoming attacks on you and me, as I will whittle down the ghouls one-by-one, and you'll finish them off," Adrian laid out.

"I see…" Shui-Lei nodded.

The ghouls' weak-jointed steps towards Adrian and Shui-Lei soon turned into staggery, but more stable jogging.

"Shuie, do you have a blade of some sort? Ravenwood folk tend to carry daggers or athames."

"Y-Yes…"

Shui-Lei fished around her in lab coat-like robes. Her hand reappears with a purple dagger, embedded with amethysts.

"You do know wizards use athames for rituals, right?" Shui-Lei asks as she hands her Ice wizard friend her dagger.

Adrian took the blade with his right hand, surveying the edge.

"This looks sharp enough," he shrugs. "I actually have had no experience in fighting with small weapons like these."

He then smiled while holding the athame up to his cheek with two fingers.

"I'll make sure I'll return this to you all clean-"

His head was blown slightly to the side by a bolt of lightning, making his top hat fly away, and his hair was left in a poofy afro, which shrunk back into his regular hair. The thaumaturge let out a huff of smoke.

"I'm good," Adrian put simply.

Shui-Lei wasn't sure to be worried or surprised, but she quickly turned her attention back at the ghouls. They were closer than ever.

"Wh-What do we do?" she stammered.

"Where did your confidence go?" Adrian grinned. "Just keep them all away, while I find a window to strike!"

"R-Right!" Shui-Lei nodded.

From her deck, a purple leather spellcard was drawn, lighting up into divine white sparks, and was absorbed by her wand. Quickly, she drew a Storm rune in the air, and drew her wand backwards.

"Fulmination Arts: Shockwave!"

She tapped the Storm rune with her wand, and a wave of electrostatic discharge poured out as the Storm rune broke into dust, sweeping back the ghouls in front of her like a wave of salty ocean water. While some Rotting Fodders were swept off their feet, a lot still held their ground, even after being hit with a tidal bore of electricity. Beneath the ghouls' ripped cheap suits, strange purple glows emanated within. Adrian turned a sharp eye towards the glowing anomalies, which quickly disappeared once the ghouls had to resist the Storm magic no longer.

Adrian still squinted closely at the ghouls' torsos, and he thought, _What was that..?_

Regardless, Adrian found his window, and charged the ghouls with his walking cane and a storm athame in hand. The nearest ghoul in front of him took notice. It groaned, and raised its palm towards Adrian. A Storm rune formed and the ghoul uttered in a croaky voice.

"Storm Summoning: Storm Snake."

The thaumaturge's eyes widened, and his pupil sharpened. Time dilated for Adrian, slowing everything around him, as his mind kept the steady speed to take in everything at slow-motion. He noticed the Rotting Fodder with his hand near the Storm rune, being in gentle motion towards touching the magic rune. If that rotting palm fully came in contact with the Storm rune, a storm snake would come out. Adrian willed his body to duck, getting lower and lower as fast as his mind could tell his body, which was like moving in pudding to him. His hands let go of the athame and walking cane. Pretty soon, Adrian's left leg was bent at an angle, while the other was opposite, resulting in almost-full split. The soles of his black oxfords hydroplaned on the wet cobblestone, while mixing in some latent Ice magic to reduce friction. As he slid, Adrian's chin was merely half a foot above ground, while the Storm rune above him started to slowly erupt into a striking storm snake, appearing like a nova captured in the thick sands of time. Time sped up again to the normal tempo of a clock's ticking, and the sliding Adrian reached the ghoul. With haste, the nobleman used his white gloved hands to bounce his upper body backwards, twisting around to see the ghoul. Adrian's face barely missed the ghoul's, passing above the Rotting Fodder's left shoulder, as the ice wizard's right hand grabbed hold of its face. Mana intuitively flowed through the blood vessels of Adrian's bicep, becoming a substantiate source for unprecedented strength. The thaumaturge slams the ghoul's head down into the ground hard. Sounds of the ghoul's skull cracking was evanescent to Adrian's ears, hence the moment was short-lasting of a second, but the vibration of the bone-crushing impact surged to his body through the arm, giving Adrian a familiar sensation.

A sensation that triggered a desire for more, further triggering an eager smile.

When Adrian smashed the ghoul in, his left leg was ready to boost him forwards, and that was just what he did. Grinding the ghoul's head into the cobblestone as he pushed forward, Adrian charged with one step, and lobbed the ghoul's lifeless body at the rest of the horde in front of him by the head.

"GRAAH!"

The ghoul's body knocked down five or so others like bowling pins in a strike. Still bearing the instinctive magic strengthening his arms, Adrian couldn't handle the excitement: the excitement of battle, of destroying, and of devastation.

The thaumaturge's heart pounded at a faster rate.

Blood rushed, and a blush formed on his cheeks out of the pleasure of battle. But then, he somehow managed to retain his sense of regality and composition, standing up straight once again.

With the other ghouls staring and comprehending what had just happened, Adrian stood up, returned to pick up the athame & walking cane he dropped, and faced back towards the horde of undead.

"Come."

* * *

The storm snake that was summoned from before, turned its head frantically, wondering where its original target went, but then the magical cobra set Shui-Lei in its sights. The storm snake's neck flaps wiggled, the electricity on the end of its tail crackled, and a voltaic hiss sheered between the snake's fangs. Shui-Lei switched attention to the snake, and pulled out a purple card. Deftly, the storm snake contracted and lashed out with its body, charging headfirst towards Shui-Lei. The diviner's hand came forward automatically, whipping around wildly with a bronze, cogged wand, to trace out a Storm rune.

"Storm Shield!" Shui-Lei called.

A transparent bubble materialized around her in a flash of a lightning bolt, appearing lavender in color. The storm snake's face smashed into the shield, making the shield ripple, and its body bounced off in a wiggly motion. At the same time, it hissed in anger. Shui-Lei drew out another purple card, and stepped out of her Storm Shield ward. The bubble-like aura flubbered and seemed to stick onto Shui-Lei as she stepped out, like syrup.

"Storm Summoning: M-Mechanical Menace."

Quickly whipping a Storm rune out of the air, it turns into a magic circle, a complex one at that, with pentagons, triangles, chemical formulas, and runes. It glows with a white light, brighter and brighter, screaming with light. At the center, the magic circle ripples like a crafting bead dropped into calm water. Not long after, a fat, pudgy, but hulking and hunking bronze golem came charging out. It bellowed like an angry cow monster, and scooped up the storm snake in its great hand. The bronze man pinned it down into the cobblestone, but didn't squeeze the life out of the serpent. The golem's hands were warm, with steam whizzing around under the sheened skin, when you'd expect it to be cold like the metal it is. Shui-Lei hopped up onto the steam golem's back, like a chirping bird bouncing chipperly up upon a warm rock to bathe under the sun. However, her hands proved that Shui-Lei's bubbly movement had more combative purposes behind them. The girl raised a purple card, and slapped it onto the air, making the card shoot and stick onto the snake. Her hands had everything remembered in procedure. The right thumb came under the left one, shoving the right thumb's pointed fingernail into the skin of the alternate thumb, digging in to well up blood. Red drops of thick scarlet wobbled into the sky. She jabbed the bleeding thumb onto her right hand, and used a pointer finger to draw a Storm rune out of her own blood.

"Mutate!"

Steam hissed out from under the card that stuck onto the storm snake. Slowly, the serpent was stripped of its colors. The scales turned pale white, and the end of the tail went from electric yellow to smooth like moonstone. Leaning over her steam golem, Shui-Lei held the bottom of her right hand out over the snake. More raindrops colored red unnaturally dripped from the bloody Storm rune, and covered the pale snake. The blood streamed through the scales of the lifeless snake, coloring the magical serpent with its normal colors once more, but its body seemed more powerful, larger, and a bit more toned.

"N-Now go," she commanded the storm snake.

The steam golem's clamped hand flexed its fingers again to free the storm snake. It hissed in acknowledgement, and slithered back towards the Rotting Fodders to face them once again. Shui-Lei hopped off her mechanical summon, splashing into a puddle on the street as she landed.

"Command: Ravage," Shui-Lei ordered her golem.

The pudgy bronze man stood back on its two feet, extended its arms part by part, and the eyes glowed.

"I PUT THE 'GO' IN GOLEM," the mechanical menace spoke with a robot voice.

It charges for the Rotting Fodders.

"THAT WAS HUMOR."

The golem leapt up into the sky. For the ghouls who kept their eyes trained on the bronze steam machine, the golem turned into a dark yellow silhouette.

"OTHER GOLEMS FIND THAT APPROPRIATELY FUNNY!"

Its two hands came together, forming a single, large fist. Like all things in life, things must come to a fall. A mass of golden bronze came upon the street, unleashing destruction. Under the ghouls' feet, the ground crumbled like plates being crudely fashioned out of an iceberg. The Rotting Fodders flipped and flopped around as the ground jumped. Adrian himself was caught in the cataclysm, and his long-lost instincts of jumping and climbing buildings that had started to return then, now recalled into full usage.

"I take back my words of wanting more action." Adrian sounded. "This is scary!"

The young nobleman's hand reached for the nearest slab of stone, grabbing on for the ride as the ground crumbles upwards in the sky in pieces.

"Heights are indeed scary!"

Adrian glances down towards the source of the earth's upstart.

 _The young miss' steamy summon is causing quite a ruckus,_ he thinks, and looks around, spotting all of the ledges and such to grab hold of.

"Funny, this reminds me—"

He swoops his head backwards to dodge a stray cannon shot of stone, leaving him in continuous backflips.

"—of my time with Baxter!"

His words were stressed out each time he leapt off the airborne platforms of a destroyed street. He bounced, stone to stone, and launches for a faraway berg of concrete, while the air around him grew thinner, and clouds were around him. The thaumaturge calculates himself flying towards a nearby ghoul, and Adrian swings his arms, creating momentum to becoming a black whirlwind of expensive clothes and coattails.

"HRRRAGH!"

The whirlwind comes to a complete halt as Adrian's right foot catches the gut of the ghoul, kicking the undead farther into the sky like he was playing a game of football(not rugby) in the sky. He continues to do so until the wizard finally loses his kinetic energy, and lobs the ghoul away with one final kick, and then lands sideways onto a platform.

Pulling his head back to catch a glance of his perspective of 'up', Adrian finds himself ready to go through an imaginary jet stream, with ghouls placed sparingly along the line. With the help of stong legs, he springs off his slab of stone. The first ghoul he passes is whacked with a walking cane, the next was skewered into the throat with an athame. One after another, ghouls were launched out of the sky at random angles with kicks, bashing, slicing, and punching. Still shooting across the air, Adrian was about to land feet-first sideways onto a Rotting Fodder, only to suddenly be flipped backwards off-course by a tubular body of blue, dangerous chemicals.

Below, the steam golem Shui-Lei had summoned had its shoulderguards open, revealing an array of blue missiles, large and small, ready to be fired.

"TARGETS ACQUIRED," the golem briefed with his low robotic tone.

Shui-Lei popped up beside her golem, pointing her coghead wand to the clouds of crumbled road platforms and ghouls.

"Command: Alchemy M-Missile Barrage!"

A Storm rune drew itself in front of the bronze golem's eyes, and flashed, letting the remains of the magical effect seep into the crooks and corners of the golem's body. Blue arrows filled with dangerous concoctions shot out of the mechanical menace's shoulders, making shrilling screaming sounds. Whizzing and wheeming like soaring fireworks, the missiles navigated around each masses of stone and brick to reach their targets, avoiding the occasional sharply-dressed thaumaturge and a mutated storm snake. Adrian glanced up with alert eyes, watching the skies around him and above explode with royal blue clouds and violet jagged streaks of Storm magic. Arms, legs, heads, and guts were scattered after the many ghouls fell victim to the arcane warheads.

Amidst the blue clouds of alchemized chemicals, the mutated storm snake that Shui-Lei gained control over before shot out of the thick blue pea fog, and the clouds stretched out in its trail like they tried to grab onto the serpent. Hissing vibrated the atmosphere, introducing a chilling pierce through the hearts for the storm snake's next target: ghouls. Once the arcane serpent set its eyes, the snake's flaps bent into the style of a corkscrew, becoming a giant drill bit ready to headbutt a ghoul.

_Crack._

_Scrink._

_Crumble._

_CRASH!_

A ragdoll of a rotting, stinking debonair in a ragged cheap suit came erupting out a side of a concrete iceberg, with the storm snake drilling itself into the ghoul with the power of a hundred super cells, ablazed in the form of rampaging, chirping electricity. Completely, the snake burrowed through the abdomen of ghoul. Lightning vaporized blood from the serpent's grey scales. However, the snake soon found itself spiraling for three other ghouls, all holding shovels, and ready to strike the snake back into the piece of concrete and cobblestone it emerged from. The storm snake had a feeling that this was its end. But all of the sudden, darkness then panned in the way of the snake's sight: a young man clothed in noble clothes with dagger and walking cane in his grasp. His silver hair was in the motions of the soft air currents as time seemed to slow down, making all things easy to process in the mind. Adrian grinned, knowing he made it in time to save the snake. All that needed saving now was his own life, which he had planned out from the beginning. In a breeze, he silently slipped from his hip the athame to the neck of one of the three ghouls, making it flop and die. The two other ghouls were back to back as they came through mid-air, raising their shovels to hit the Ice wizard down in an X. Down came the shovels, directed for Adrian's shoulders. Without thought, the thaumaturge hurled himself to rotate sideways and upside down, spreading his leg from side to side in a split, stopping the incoming shovels with the tough soles of his oxford shoes. Not being able to counterattack while blocking with his feet in the air, Adrian glanced backwards, and spotted the surprised storm snake that he saved.

"Get 'em," Adrian grinned.

It took a split second for the storm snake to realize, and it hissed in agreement, baring its fangs as it shot past below Adrian's head, which he barely dodged by bending forwards to his feet.

"Ooh!" he sounded while managing to dodge.

Quickly, the snake bit onto an ankle, and used the rest of its momentum to slither its body and tail around the ghoul he had bitten. Adrian stopped holding up the shovels at his feet, and fell for the earth. While he began to do so, he watched the storm snake strangling the two ghouls above. Once it had the Rotting fodders in its tight hold, the storm snake's scales lit up, the tail rattled like a lightning whip, and the serpent ignited in a cloak of powerful Storm magic. The air shrieked with the powerful spark, and the snake was no more. The ghouls were mere shells of ash, disintegrating away in the air.

"Odd that I bisected one of your kind just recently," Adrian chuckled nervously to himself.

He also realizes something else. "Oh, I forgot the athame in the ghoul's neck."

Gently with closed eyes, he turned around…. to the way he was falling.

"Oh yeah, I'm falling," Adrian realized stupidly.

Shui-Lei was panting, after commanding her golem to attack, and shooting down with electricity her fifteenth and sixteenth kill. The sound of a high-pitched male yelling and screaming reached her ears. It was really faint, but she looked up.

Shui-Lei squinted her eyes. "What… is that?"

Up high in the sky, Adrian was yelling in fear. Freefalling was not a nice experiencing for him, even if he was a skilled parkourist, because he ironically was afraid of heights. As he freefell, Adrian watched that he was falling faster than the stones under and around him. Some masses of the street were even still tumbling _up_ , the opposite of Adrian's falling. The Ice wizard suddenly stopped screaming like he flipped a switch.

"Oh, well that's even more deadly," Adrian nonchalantly pointed out to himself.

Instantly, he got into form to freefall properly, having his chest facing the earth, with arms out and legs flailed.

Like a falcon, Adrian stooped, with wrists near his hips. He found himself diving for a mass of stone, and he tried to move. It was a bit tough, but Adrian managed to muster his strength, moving his limbs and twisting his body to glide over, shooting past the mass of stone.

"Close," he commented. "Close."

Figuring out how to maneuver himself, Adrian was able to glide around against the drag of the air, sometimes nearly missing and letting the earth _wooshing_ past inches behind his back. Everything felt like Adrian had it under control, until the Ice wizard realized that he didn't know how to land.

"Oh."

Again, Adrian cried out in fear while shooting for Triton Avenue like a meteor, but subconsciously, numbers and variables wiggled around in his mind, trying to figure out how he could survive. Like refreshing water, mana surged throughout the thaumaturge's body, looping and coiling around every stretch of muscle, every blood vessel, every tissue of skin and bone, until Adrian's body was as durable as steel.

"Crap-crap-crap-crap-crap-crap-crap-crap-crab-crab-crab-crab-crab-CRAB!"

Plummeting and nearing the ground closer and closer, Adrian gulped and raised a fist, preparing to make a dent in the surface of Wizard City.

Nearby, Shui-Lei had her eyes on the spectacle, watching her new-found friend freefalling from the clouds and skies above.

"Oh no…" Shui-Lei gasped.

At the last few seconds, Adrian willed his raised fist to punch the earth and pierce the world, in hopes to create a cushion for his fall.

It went well, but the not the way he hoped.

Down came the cavalry. As if Triton Avenue wasn't destroyed enough, this impact released a shockwave. Cannonades of debris rocked the area. A sudden gust from the shockwave forced a nearby Shui-Lei to raise her arms to shield her eyes. A second or two, and the atmosphere calmed, leaving behind shards of earth poking out of the roads of Triton Avenue. Shui-Lei didn't waste any time, and hurried to make her way to the epicenter of the impact admist the clouds of dust. Her braided pigtails waved and flailed behind her like ropes of garlic. Enveloped in worry, Shui-Lei's pace grew with her amounting dread, but all of that wisped away as she spotted a familiar nobleman, submerged half-a-foot into the ground in an awkward position. The diviner leaped and landed on her knees beside Adrian. Hurriedly, her hands advanced to excavate her thaumaturgic friend out of the rubble.

"Shit, shit, shit!" Shui-Lei despaired, managing to not stutter in her usual ways.

She kept at it, until an arm suddenly busted out of the ground, reaching for the sky. Shui-Lei squeaked and bounced back from the abruptness.

"Ack," Adrian sounded. "So that was what that 'shit' meant."

It was too late for Shui-Lei to cover her mouth, but she was even more surprised when she found out that Adrian didn't even know what the word meant. Shaking the thought off, the diviner scrambled to Adrian's side.

"You're alive!" she gasps. "I was so worried! I am so, so sorry! You were caught up in that mess- WILFORD!"

Shui-Lei's words broke into her yelling back behind her to her steam golem.

"After this mission, you're grounded!" Shui-Lei calls out.

Adrian could hear the faint sound of a golem whining in disappointment, and he chuckles.

"As much as I'd love to admit it, your golem sure gave me the terrifying ride of my life."

"Don't you mean, 'you'd hate to admit it?'"

"No."

"Oh."

"I mean like," Adrian coughs a bit from the dust. "You don't want to suddenly be blasted up into the air, no? That's frightening."

Speaking of frightening, the violet-gilded athame that Adrian once held descended from the sky, shooing down and landed, piercing into the cobblestone right between Adrian's middle and ring finger.

"Oh," the ice wizard sounded nonchalantly. "That's also scary."

It takes a second, but then Shui-Lei realizes her dagger that came down from the sky like thunder after the clumsy delay.

She yelps. "AYE!"

Like it's a reflex, Shui-Lei flips Adrian's hand away from the athame with both of her own delicate hands, causing Adrian to snicker a bit.

"Anyways," Adrian switches the topic, "Can you pull me out of the rock, Shuie? Like, if you can… Please."

Shui-Lei was still a bit frantic from the dagger from the sky, and even more when Adrian called her by her nickname, henceworthing a fuzzy blush across her cheeks.

She blinks.

She quivers her lips.

"Uh…"

Her body jolts a bit in realization.

Adrian watches the mini-show all befuddled, willing to tilt his head if he wasn't stuck into the surface of the street.

"I mean, I would do it myself but it's gonna take a while until I can use my magic."

"O-Of course!" Shui-Lei stammered.

The Storm wizard scampers over Adrian onto her two feet. She bends down, reaching her hands out to attempt to dig her fingers in around Adrian's arm.

Shuie struggles, with all the flimsy strength she has. "Nnnnnngah!"

Instead of Adrian, she was only able to pull out his arm, plus a great boulder.

"Whoa," Adrie blinks. "You're strong."

It's pretty surprising, considering how she could be considered a nerd, with glasses, skinny frame, all that.

"Eheh," Shui-Lei chuckles. "I have to lift heavy golem parts often."

Tossing the boulder of bricks and cobblestone aside, the Mooshuan hobbles over Adrian's body, slipping in her hands around his back.

Shuie blinks towards Adrian with an uncertain glint in her eyes. "R-Ready?"

The ice wizard nods.

With much effort into the pulling him out, Shui-Lei's teeth gnashed in a struggle, and the sounds of high-pitched growling managed out from her mouth.

"Ooomph!"

Out plopped the body of a white-haired thaumaturge, along with a flimsy scientist Storm wizard under him with her hands outreached, holding him up. The skyline in Shui-Lei's eyes began to move down while her chin tilted up.

"Oh nononononono!" she panics.

"This is totally disorientating!" Adrian exclaims to the Shui-Lei below.

Shuie was about to fall backwards, and with the way she held Adrian up, he was about to be piledrived backwards into the ground. With none a second thought, Shui-Lei's feet cycled backwards, trying to regain balance, but at that point, the two were like a tilted T, stumbling backwards out of panic. They collapse together into a shrub, fortunately, ending up with Shui-Lei dazed within the hold of Adrian's arms, and he was dizzy as well.

"Never again," Adrian whimpered, "Will I skydive."

They way the clouds could be described was fluffy, like cotton candy, all bunched to form a roof in the sky, while individual darker clouds hovered in a lower level. Adrian watched all this, but his vision was doubled and blurred, making him see images of flying sheep in pairs. A silhouette of a person then shifted into view from the right, followed by another on the opposite side.

"What are you guys doing?" one of them asks.

Adrian's ice blue eyes were still shrouded in a daze, but eventually dissipated, and the blurred outlines of the silhouettes refined into clearer images. The heads of Emily Stormheart and Cori Stormcaster gazed over Adrian, who had Shui-Lei close in his warmth.

"Oh, it's you guys," Adrian whimpered.

"You forgot something, big brother," Cori brought up with a small, yet mischievous small.

She places a top hat atop Adrian's silver-white fluffy hair.

"I found it when the wee hat fell from the sky," the young wizard explains.

Adrian glances up briefly to the brim of his top hat.

"Aha, thank you," he grins weakly.

Emily stood with her shadow over Adrian and Shui-Lei. "What are you two doing, frolicking about in each other's arms?"

Shui-Lei suddenly straightened out, retracted her body from Adrian with a deep blush. "W-We just ended up like this!"

"I'm still dizzy," Adrian blurts out with an emotionless smile.

Emily blinks at the two, and shakes off her thoughts. "Moreover, what in the world happened to cause this mess?"

After adjusting her glasses, Shui-Lei supported herself on Adrian's chest, pushing off to sit up.

"I suppose my golem did a bit too much," she admitted.

"Oh man," Emily groans while glancing around, rubbing the back of her neck. "Headmaster Ambrose is going to be devastated…."

The journeyman diviner blinks at the rubble and cataclysm. "Right?"

An uneasy silence made its way around the destroyed state of Triton Avenue, riding on the surf of the hallow, whistling wind's-

"I'm sure he'll shrug it off," Cori shrugs.

You know, I put effort into narrating a very serious atmosphere and these girls just keep interrupting-

"Yeah, you're right," Emily nods.

I'm done.

"Are you guys sure?" Shui-Lei and Adrian asked in unison, and then they glanced at each other.

"Worrisome minds think alike," Cori grins cheekily.

Sounds of high-heels clacking on stone trailed towards Adrian and Shui-Lei. Emily Stormheart approached the two, and extended her hand out.

"Up and at 'em, guys," Emily called out.

First, Shui-Lei was assisted up onto her feet. The brush-like ends of her long double pigtails tickled on Adrian's nose. The thaumaturge sneezed, but it came out like a bat sneezing instead, sounding high-pitched and short-lived. Cori giggles at the fumble of Adrian's stature, and lends out her hand.

"Come on, big brother," the young diviner smirks.

"Right then," Adrian grunted.

After rising up, the white-haired teen patted his back thoroughly, puffing white dust off the behind of his double-breasted suit. Adrian nods as his clothes were properly cleaned, and walks off with no words.

"H-Hey!" Cori called out. "What are ye doing, big bro?"

No reply.

Instead, the ice wizard looks upon a hill of concrete and cobblestone rubble, and goes ahead to scale the not-so-steep pile. Scrounging around with his head turning like a bloodhound's, he finds his mark, and begins to excavate.

"Oi!" Cori called out again. "What are you doing?"

"Give me a minute!" the Ice wizard replies.

His arms then starts to whip his arms backwards, making stones and debris fly. Abruptly, he stops to hold up his once-lost walking cane.

"Nifty."

Emily stares at Adrian who was digging away, and crosses her arms.

"I'm coming over there!" the Storm wizard yells.

With that, Emily strolls towards Adrian's side. Cori follows. Shui-Lei blinks, stammers a bit, and stumbles to take her athame out of the ground, and follows after her fellow teammates.

Adrian's digging became more vigorous by the time Emily reached his side, until the thaumaturge finally finds what he was looking for.

Impatient, Emily frowns. "Just what are you-"

Her words hit a roadblock as she finds herself ogling at an amulet of some sort. It was of ornate, black steel, with a transparent lilac gemstone as the center piece.

"So this is what they were wearing," Adrian narrowed his eyes onto his discovery.

"A storm medallion?" Emily asks.

"Is that what this is?" Adrian questions. "I saw purple glowing from their chests."

The thaumaturgic nobleman turns his head back to where he was digging, eyeing the torso of a dead ghoul. Its ribs were outlined through its skin, and there was an imprint of the storm medallion which Adrian dug up, as if the necklace was pressed onto the ghoul's chest tightly.

"Well, boss?" Adrian asks. "What do we now?"

Emily Stormheart bounces at the sudden question, as if her leadership was being put to the court, but she quickly makes up her mind.

"Look around for more storm medallions," Emily ordered. "We will need multiple samples just in case. One for each of us will do. By then, we head back to Duncan Grimwater. Am I clear?"

Adrian nods nonchalantly at the plan.

Shui-Lei replies with a quick, "Yes!"

Cori gives her mentor a full-hearted salute.

* * *

Susie Gryphonebane's violet-dyed boots stepped with a stern pace on the wet cobblestone, grinding on the grains and pebbles, until she finds a stray hooded necromancer in black and white robes. Duncan Grimwater was "busy" crouching by the base of a willow tree, watching beyond the stone fence of the cliff ledge, and towards the island in the middle of Crab Alley River, where it was home to a dueling circle.

"What are you doing?" Susie snapped.

Fumbling, Duncan sprang up and hit his head on the willow tree, falling backwards to end up with grass in his mouth.

"Ack…" he sounded.

Carefully, Duncan rose on his two arms, and peeks up at Susie, revealing his dark skinned face with silver eyes.

"Well hello, pretty," Duncan smiled.

Instantly, the necromancer ate the front of Susie's boot, and was knocked back by her little kick.

"Stop messing around, you fool," Susie grunted.

Her pissed demeanor suddenly broke into a silent gasp as he heard the familiar voices of fellow wizards. In the distance beyond the bridge to the north region of Triton Avenue, three girl diviners and a boy thaumaturge was in view. The four were like figurines far away. The littlest diviner, Cori, was jumping and waving her arms in effort to grab Susie's attention. Susie waved back, and the four questmates met up with the diviner.

"Where did you guys go?" Susie questioned.

Emily responded with alertness. "We had to go and fight the Rotting Fodders," she debriefed. "On request of your…"

Emily looks down on a Duncan. The necromancer was face-first into the grass.

"…What is he doing?" she asks.

"Taking a nap," Susie shrugs.

She wasn't sure how to approach this. Emily was pretty sure that Duncan was unconscious, with the way he was sprawled out, but she does the same as Susie and shrugs it off.

"I'm guessing Duncan sent you to do some pointless dirty work," Susie mumbled.

"Actually, no," a muffled voice sounded.

Duncan's body rolled over, with an uneasy smile towards Susie.

"Like I'd kiss your boot and all, but not like that."

Susie made the effort to silently tell him "SHUSHHHHHHSDLAFKJ" with a frantic tone, pulling back her mouth to bare her teeth towards the necromancer, while also harboring a slight blush.

"Anyways." Duncan grunted as he sat up. He saw Emily and her questmates, and his eyes were a bit surprised.

"You guys survived? I mean… That was fast!"

Emily shot arrows at Duncan with her eyes. "You thought I could not handle mere undead whelps?"

" _We_ ," Cori corrected in the background.

"Uh no," Duncan stammered. "Those undead are not as tough as they seem, are they?"

The necromancer forced a chuckle, but then straightened out his face.

"So what did you learn?"

Adrian stepped forward besides Emily.

"They were able to use Divination," Adrian explained.

At first, Duncan Grimwater raised a brow, seeming bewildered.

"The Undead are using Storm magic?" he asked. "That doesn't make any sense!"

An arm clothed in a black suit sleeve reached out beside Emily. Adrian held out a black steel necklace with its Storm magic-enhanced gemstones embedded within.

"These… things," Adrian said with a pause.

"Storm medallions," Emily added.

Duncan gawked up towards the hanging amulet, and tilted his head.

"Hmmm… Maybe you could ask Susie what she knows about this," he suggests.

Susie was taken aback. "What? Duncan needs my help? Wow… That's a first."

"Well not everyone is gods almighty," Duncan muttered, looking the other way.

After a snicker, Susie takes a look at the storm medallions. "Duncan is right, however. You don't normally see the Undead using Storm magic."

Susie pauses, looking towards the north region of Triton Avenue, up at the cliffs and the four waterfalls that flowed down each individual level of the gorge-side.

"I've seen some of them wearing some kind of strange medallion before."

"Ye never wondered why in the right mind they donned the necklaces?" Cori asked.

Susie shook her head. "I never noticed that they were of Storm-origin. I thought they were used to control the Undead, especially since whoever may have summoned these ghouls may not be around."

She then turned her head to Emily and her three questmates.

"You guys don't have any more of those, do you?" Susie requests.

Emily nods, and digs her alchemy satchel, producing an identical copy of the medallion Adrian held. Shui-Lei and Cori held up their medallions. Adrian's other hand brought up another one. Upon closer inspection, Susie squinted her eyes, but shook her head.

She directs her attention back to her necromancer colleague. "Duncan?"

Duncan raises a brow, and rises up from the grass. He takes off his hood as well, revealing black hair. He had long bangs framed to the sides of his face, while the hair on the sides of his head were styled in cornrows, while the topside of his hair were made into cornrows as well, with a tail of braids hanging off from behind.

"So you guys collected these from the Rotting Fodders?" Duncan asked. "Hmm… I bet these will help me out! But first…"

He points up, spanning over the small canyon towards the four waterfalls not too far away.

"In order for me to investigate these medallions, I will need some lumina crystals."

Susie blinks at Duncan's words, and then gets the idea. "I see! They store Storm magic, and will be affected by the storm medallions."

"Exactly," Duncan grins. "There's a mill up there. Guy by the name of Blad."

After a short pause, Cori pulls her head back. "Blad? What kinda name is that?"

"Well," Duncan hums. "It's not a _blad_ name, ain't it?"

"Stop this murdering," Emily quietly hissed.

Duncan let out a short snicker, held back by smiling lips. "Anyways, Blad is the miller by the falls. He runs a Storm Mill that produces the lumina crystals."

"Another errand?" Emily raises a brow.

"No no," Duncan smirks. "I'll come with you. It _is_ an investigation after all."

Staring upon Duncan and the other four wizards, Susie Gryphonbane moistens her lips, and shrugs.

"I might as well head with you guys," she nods to herself. "After all, we can't let our underclassmen do all the dirty work, _Duncan._ "

Susie glares at the dark-skinned necromancer with condescending eyes. Duncan rubs the back of his neck, and curls one of his cornrow braids taken from behind his head around his finger. He then shoots a finger gun at Susie.

"Gotcha, pretty," he grins seductively.

Instead of giving the expected irritated reaction, Susie gives Duncan a disappointed half-scowl.

"You know what?" Susie frowns. "If you want me so bad, so be it."

Without warning, the sandy blonde-haired diviner took Duncan by the shoulders, and planted a kiss on his lips. Duncan's pupils narrowed to the tiniest, finding himself in the totally most unexpected situation. Normally, girls whom he tries to flirt with would reject him, but this was another thing. Emily, Shui-Lei, and Cori watched the whole thing unfold, while Adrian didn't give much of a reaction.

"Hold on," the thaumaturge says. "Is she eating him- No wait, that's kissing!"

Adrian takes a little notebook out of his double breasted coat, reading something that was scribbled down.

"Yep, that is… a sign of affection," he read, and then glanced back up at Susie and Duncan. "Funny, Miss Susie has been rejecting Mister Duncan all this time."

Emily, Cori, and Shui-Lei watched Adrian with disbelief.

"Does big bro really not know about this stuff?" Cori hisses to Emily.

"Ashley mentioned something about this," Emily nodded.

After a brief while, Susie broke the kiss, pulling back to watch a trail of saliva bridge from her lower lip to Duncan's. Both of their breathing were like steamy huffs.

"There," the Storm wizard settles. "Now you won't be an obnoxious flirt anymore."

Her hands let go of Duncan, and the necromancer was left speechless. Susie turns around, and clears her throat into a fist.

"Now, let's go," she says sternly, trying to forget what had just happened, albeit a raging blush on her cheeks.

Emily steps aside as Susie Gryphonbane stomps off to the direction of the bridge over Crab Alley River. Shui-Lei's head frantically turned between Duncan and Susie, producing questioning sounds with each turn. Cori had a dirty smirk on her face, holding back a snicker, and Adrian finished writing something down on his mini-notebook.

"…can be used… to stop… conflict… Possibly a means of… psychological warfare…"

He shuts his book, takes up his walking cane, and follows after Susie.

"I can't wait to show Penny what I've learned over these past years!" he says merrily as he marches off.

Emily stood still, with an open mouth.

"What just happened?"


	24. A Queen Reborn

"Nature Weaving: Sherwood Kingdom!"

Molly Lionheart's green coloured spellcard lights up into bright viridian before her brown eyes. It disperses into spores, disappearing into the dark, damp atmosphere of the Dark Cave. Gargantuan trees began to erupt out of the streets and out the alleys between the cottages and houses of the Dark Cave, producing an arborous wonderland of beauty from which only fairy tales could spell up. Even so, it was not enough, as a hulking mass of bones and black armor charges through the vicinity, keeping Molly down in his sights. Dan the Runed Skull rampages further on, bashing away growing tendrils of wood with his shoulders, while his giant broadsword was on standby.

"A mere backwoods to a nursery cannot stop me, Life wizard!" Dan roars out.

Molly was a ways ahead, with a hand holding her black sun hat. On it were motifs of the Life School: green vines with leaves intertwining into the shape of a Life rune. By now, her legs should've been tired, and her stamina would've been drained. No wizard was a natural runner, or in Molly's case, a natural leaper who could cross branch to branch in the treetops, but she was able to control her breathing, forcing life magic into her muscles, lungs, and heart, supplying them with enough oxygen and energy to keep them running. Molly knew she couldn't keep this going, or she begin to slowly tear her calves and leg muscles. With that in mind, Molly waves her palm over her deck of cards, which hovered in view as she kept running and leaping backwards. Each jump and step wore away from her lungs as she struggled to dodge the incoming growth of trees, bushes, and forestry. Her left hand reaches across her chest to draw three or so cards. Out from her lips, a small melody hummed out. The beautiful soothing sounds she made begins to take solid form around the theurgist like snakes decorated with musical notes, from staccatos to full notes. As she kept humming, Molly could feel mana welling up in her chest until she knew it was time to unleash what she had in store. Instantly, she twists her body, turning backwards to face the faraway silhouette of Dan the Hulking Skeleton. The humming came to an abrupt stop, and instead, powerful words shouted out of Molly's mouth, bringing forth her spells. Spinning her staff, she draws three Life runes.

"Life Summoning: Dryad Huntress, Seraph, Barkskin Druid!"

Like mud, a figure of a lady surfaces out of a side of a thick tree. Her hair was of leaves, and her skin of smooth bark. A toga of leaves covered her supple breasts and in her hands was a bow, and in her quiver: arrows of solid tree sap.

The second summon erupts out of another thick tree, opposite to from where the dryad huntress emerged. The druid was a burly, yet pudgy man with a balding head and dark skin. His beard was like leaves and Spanish moss, had frizzy, curly ginger hair, and a spiked club of wood was carried on his back.

The third and final summon emerges out in front of Molly, a divine light shines in front of her. Magic circles of heavenly quality weaved together intricately, bringing forth a beautiful, yet horrifying creature. Divine in her own plane, this was a true seraph, with a white shining dress, blonde hair, a golden laurel, a sword of twisted thorns, and six wings colored soft red to sharp scarlet.

"Holy, holy, HOLY!" she peals.

The seraph's voice was gentle and soft, but at the third repetition of "holy," her voice became shrilled and ethereal, like eagles screeching in tandem with sharp nails on a chalkboard and acute sirens. It was a voice that shook all mortal beings. Fear struck even Molly herself.

With her three powerful summons, Molly stops in the air and lands on a branch. If she glanced below, she could see the tiles of a house's roofing. The dryad, druid, and seraph stood on standby, while Dan arrived at the scene. The armored skeleton's brown eyes turns up to Molly and her magical creatures up in the trees. His pupils that were replaced with diamonds that still manages to widen and shrink, while the shape of his skull around the mouth molds and shifts to make a wicked grin.

"You have powerful allies, wizard," Dan growls in anticipation.

Molly was panting, sapped of her bodily stamina, as well as using a large amount of her mana pool.

 _I need to get back to Ashley,_ Molly tells herself. _I can't do this alone. Ashley needs to be brought back to fighting condition._

But then the thought of Scarlet Night floats into her mind. An image of a dead pyromancer girl, with her blonde hair dipped in her own blood, and a grievous wound that cut down her collarbone and halfway down her chest.

 _To think someone… would die,_ Molly thinks.

"Come now!" Dan roars up towards Molly. "Fight!"

Distraught darkens Molly's brown eyes into almost black. Dan's voice shivered down her spine like a knife on a cold rock in mix with a bloodthirsty gorilla's grumble. The Dark Cave's little lighting seemed to let the murkiness close in on the Life wizard. Even so, the harrowing winds seemed to like it when Molly's chocolate brunette hair waved forwards in front of her head like plants in water.

"Alright, I will bite," Molly says in a wispy tone.

The theurgist leaps off her branch-of-a-perch, raising her staff above her head. A green aura enchants the wooden shaft, and the staff's knotted top was enveloped in Life magic. Falling down towards Dan, ready to strike with her staff.

"Nature Weaving: Life Fury!"

A Life rune draws itself above Dan's head, and Molly comes down like lightning, striking the Life rune, and caused it to explode into a poof, like a misty pea green cloud of spores. Dan stumbles back, coughing into his left arm. He didn't expect the attack to have much power, and he was right. However, when the skeleton's coughing stopped, his diamond-studded eyes glances upon his steel bracers that covered his skeletal arms. It was something like cotton—green cotton. Patches of fluffy moss was left on the Hulking Skeleton's armor.

Dan chuckles. "What? Is _this_ all you have—"

He sees that the cloud of fungal spores cleared away, and Molly was nowhere to be seen. Only the seraph, wood druid, and dryad huntress remained, watching the skeleton from the trees above.

"Where did that brat go?" he growls to himself.

But that's when he realizes, peeking back on his armor. At the nuclei of fluffy moss patches, they hardened, darkened, and starts to corrode the skeleton's armor away, like acid.

"What?" Dan snaps, becoming bewildered. "Ice Arts: Arctic Sting."

An ice rune spins into existence in his palm as he waves it over his left arm, while leaving his sword jabbed into the ground. A small singularity of powerful ice magic screams like glass breaking and bells ringing within his right hand, chilling the patches of fungi on his armor. Once it was done, he glances upon his bracer again, but the spores still ate away. They were at no way at all affected by Dan's Ice magic.

"That brat…" Dan growls. "She ran away. She left me with this moss of some sort…"

He tilts his back, looking up to the trees.

"And left me to deal with two creatures of Life and that…"

He squints.

"…the true seraph."

* * *

Molly's high-heeled boots were back on the ground. Brown strands of her hair waved in front of her eyes while she scrambles to find Ashley Breeze. Her boots were thigh-high, and were already slightly patched with rips and tatters from fleeing and running.

"Oooh," Molly sounds in worry.

She thought that'd she would've protected herself with her Sherwood Kingdom spell, making it harder for Dan to navigate the Dark Cave, much less even get into the trees. In turn, it was tougher for Molly to find Ashley. The theurgist imagined her sorcerer friend lying unconscious under a black steel tower shield.

"I might have to edge out more mana," Molly whispers to herself.

She screeches to a stop, or at least tried to. It was hard to suddenly stop on high heels, especially on cobblestone.

"Find her mana signature…"

Her heart manages to succumb to pacification, and her lungs breathes in and out fully. As her eyes closed like a leaf landing on water, the world around her darkens, and feathers appears around Molly like stars in the night, each glowing with uniqueness in many forms and colors.

The first feather she felt shivered like chills coursing up her finger. It was a vulture's feather, dappled with tiny jewels to decorate its blackness. It was dragged down by a molted snake skin. Molly could tell that this was Dan's mana signature. She wasn't sure why his feather would have a snake skin attached to it.

Second closest to her was a beige feather, spotted with brown patches. The feather was large, hence it was an eagle's. However, it had another feather tied to it with a delicate white ribbon. On the other end of that ribbon was a pure white feather. Molly had seen this before. These feathers belong Ashley, knowing that the eagle's feather was her's. The other one, the white feather, wasn't always there, but Molly wasn't around long enough to know why it was. It was as if Ashley had two souls. At this point, Molly had seen it many times enough to not really give it much thought.

 _Found Ashley's mana signature,_ Molly thinks.

The life wizard raises up her bicep, then extends the rest of her arm, reaching her fingers out to grasp the two feathers. Before the tips of her fingers could even brush the fluff of the cascading objects, something pulses in Molly's senses. On her left, a heat warms up her cheek, like the hearth of a fireplace. Glancing in that direction, Molly see a black feather… made of flames.

Molly's eyes widened in wonder. _What is that?_

At a tip of the black feather, it starts to glow like a cinder. The glowing spreads like cracks in broken glass, and soon blew up into a divine, yet inviting light. Now it was like part of an angel's blazing set of wings.

 _No…_ Molly thinks, _It's a phoenix's feather. Whose soul is this?_

Molly stares at it for a while, but then turns her mind to Ashley's feather. Once her hand snapped it into her palm, the empty reality around her speckled with stars and nebulas of feathers, disappears, and the Dark Cave replaced everything.

"I know where Ashley is!" Molly casts her eyes forward with determination.

She began to run. A weakness beats within her, making Molly stumble, but she recomposes herself quickly and kept on.

"She should be under a black shield, if I recall correctly."

Her legs prances and gallops over tree roots and cobblestone pavement damaged with overgrowth with grace. Molly was like a doe, elegantly skipping with innocence.

"Ashley?" she calls out. "Ashley!"

Her voice echoes throughout her magical forest. Hearing her own voice wasn't helping in Molly's search. Her calling out for Ashley began to ring in the Life wizard's mind. Pangs of migraine beats down on her head, and she couldn't help but wince and keep an eye closed.

"The consequences of using too much mana too quickly," she utters to herself. "Anymore and I'll black out."

She narrows her eyes as if she were staring the situation down like it was on a table of a war room.

"Consumption rebound," Molly breathes.

That is what it's called, the overuse of mana in a short timeframe, causing migraines or headaches to the wizard who experiences it. It is like a warning or a taste of what is to come when they begin to approach the threshold of using up their magical essence. When it comes to the point when a creature uses 80% of their mana, they will black out as a form of self-protection. After all, mana is made by a creature's spirit, and it is what holds the soul and body together. Once someone uses too much mana, the spirit disconnects the soul's mental link to the body in order to prevent death. No person is alive when their body and soul is not connected.

The palm of Molly's hand presses against her forehead, trying to cope of the subtly throbbing headache.

"I do hope my summons can at least hold down that... Runed Skull," she wishes. "Those were my best spells."

Continuing on through the magical forest, it felt like Molly's legs were running dry, muscles becoming husked like a cracked desert bed, and as flammable as old wheat or grass left to dehydrate in the sun.

"Just… a bit… longer!"

No longer was she like a prancing doe. Instead, Molly's running stumbled down into a struggling jog. Fortunately, the theurgist happens again upon a familiar T-intersection on the cobblestone roads of the Dark Cave. Nearby is the exit. The Life wizard is pretty sure that this was the place where she, Ashley... and Scarlet… fought the skeleton legion. An image of that bloody scene pulses once before Molly's imagination. There she was, Scarlet was lying dead, and Molly was only a few feet away. The Life wizard shakes her head, urging those thoughts away. Upon opening her eyes once again after she cleared her mind, Molly saw on the curb of the sidewalk; a black steel shield laying on top of an unmoving body. The legs and forearms that stuck out from under the mass of steel belonged to Ashley. One hand of her's was twitching, as if it were struggling to push the shield away. However, one hand wouldn't be enough. Molly comes close to the fallen Ashley's side. The Balance wizard's heavy breathing could be heard.

Ashley grunts and moans. "Who's there?

"Oh my gods, Ashley!" Molly scrambles to her side. "How hurt are you?"

Worried weights drags down on the corners of Molly's mouth. The Life wizard frantically tries to pull the shield off of her friend.

"Woodland Arts," she utters while pressing her hand onto the ground, "Rampant Growth!"

Mana seeps from the theurgist's fingertips and colors the cobblestones' cracks into glowing green colors beneath Molly's palm. A Life rune appears, and a tendril of bark and wood grew out of it, slipping between the cracks in the street like a snake. As it increases in size, the wood pushed up against the black steel shield that weighed down Ashley. The shield was propped up, into something like a lean-to, giving Molly the chance hobble over behind Ashley to take her under the arms.

"This might hurt a bit," Molly warns.

"I've had worse pains," Ashley grunts.

With a _HRRRGNT,_ Molly tugs Ashley out of her predicament of a shield with all her flimsy might. Usually, shields were made to protect. In this case, it was like a cage. Thankfully, Ashley didn't have a limb or something stuck under the metal shield. Once Molly managed her friend out, the girl lets out a heavy sigh and fell back on her bottom. Ashley laid her head between Molly's legs, and they stared at each other, breathing heavily.

"Can you get up?" Molly questions.

"I could use some healing," Ashley pants.

"Sorry, I don't think I should be using any spells at the moment."

"Even doctors have their limits."

"I'm not a doctor," Molly irks. "I'm not a doctor _yet_ at least."

"You are still considered something like a chief of a hospital," Ashley points out.

"Yeah, I guess," Molly shrugs.

Ashley smirks for a moment, then went silent. "Where is the novice, by the way?"

Molly wasn't sure what the Balance wizard had asked. "What?"

"Where is Scarlet? Is she okay? What has happened?"

Just like that, Molly's eyes widens, and her breathing had a short spasm, like she was cracking up. With her sharp senses, Ashley could sense something wasn't right.

"What is wrong?" she asked.

Like the beginnings of rain, Ashley feel drops of water pelt her face. They formed little blobs of liquid on her skin, and they smelled like the salty sea spray of the ocean.

"A-Are…" The sorcerer was uncertain to ask. "Are you crying?"

"She's dead," Molly cracks.

Ashley's blind eyes showed horror. "What? How could…"

"JUST…"

Molly's sharp words pierces through Ashley's train of thought.

"Just… don't worry about it now," she pleads.

Her breath spasms as her eyes became red with tears. Biting back the urge to break out into crying, Molly reaches into her alchemy satchel, which was strapped to the side of her hip. The thought of how someone's life was taken away, right between her fingers, clawed at her faltering spirit. Was this why quests weren't given? People could actually die… All this time, Molly only knew of school; how students were only worried about schoolwork, how students were playing around in the Commons, how students would spar with each other in magic duels. There was never a thought where someone's life would be in danger, and here Molly was, with heavy thoughts pressured onto her young mind. She's fourteen, yet Molly thought she was prepared with for the world. Her hands already knew how it was like to be a surgeon, to cut open skin and reach inside to operate. She didn't mind the blood, because surgery was all about treating a patient. But there it was, the image of Scarlet Night, with a cut made into her like a butcher's cleaver. It was horrifying to imagine to think about how Scarlet died, resting on a puddle of her own morbid blood.

"MOLLY!"

The theurgist jerks to life, surprised by the sudden call of her name. Ashley was still gazing at her with her sightless eyes.

"Look," she starts, "It must be hard to deal with, I know. It's not your fault. Now is not the time."

The words felt as if they pulled Molly out of delusion and back into reality.

"I still feel the Runed Skull's presence," Ashley continues. "We can't sit around."

"R-Right…" Molly stammers.

One of her hands was still in her alchemy satchel. The fingers were curled around something glassy. Retracting her arm, Molly pulled out a health potion.

"Y-Yes," she breathes, "Here, drink this."

Ashley nodded, and her lips parted, opening her mouth. Molly's index finger curled inwards into the vial's opening, and her thumb rises up. Together, the two fingers pinches onto the cork of the health potion, and pops it out. Carefully, the theurgist tips the glass vial over, letting the red liquid seep out of the opening and pour onto Ashley's tongue.

"Can you fight now?" Molly questions.

Ashley tries to swallow the reddish liquid, but ended up coughing some of it out. A disgusted _ech_ retched from her.

"Why do health potions have to be bitter..." she scowls.

Wiping what her body rejected of the health potion off with a sleeve, her frown remained intact as she rose up onto a foot and knee.

"You actually complained for once," Molly comments, while wiping her tears.

Ashley blinks. "I did, did I not?"

The sorcerer's eyelids unexpectedly itched to close shut, fluttering as she almost retched another time.

"I can't get the taste out of my mouth..."

Continuing to stand on her feet, Ashley took heed of Molly sniffing. Though her face wasn't visible for reading, the emotions was as clear as day for the Mooshuan.

She sighs, and struts a hand out at Molly, accidentally chopping her head with her hand softly. In that instant, Ashley reels her arm back.

"Sorry," she apologizes. "I was trying to offer a hand-"

Ashley shakes her head.

"Come on, Lionheart. I thought you had borne that name for a reason!" Ashley sternly says in brusque. "That Runed Skull... 'Dan,' is still out there."

The words immediately puts a halt to Molly's quivering lips. However, it was a little awkward for Ashley, trying to pull Molly up into spirit harshly despite just hitting her on the head with her blindness.

"R-Right," Molly stumbled.

With the Mooshuan's help, the Life wizard got up to her feet. Right as Molly was about to thank her, the black shield beside the two girls started to scratch on the ground. The two girls freezes in place. Molly stares at it, while Ashley's hand immediate presses onto the ground to get a feel for what was going on. However, she gave up feeling for vibrations, as in the corner of her sight, Ashley notices a small singularity of mana. Her head immediately clocks in the shield's direction. There, she watches icy blue mana, like fluorescent fireflies gathering together in a cluster.

It forms an Ice rune.

From that point, Molly and Ashley both knew that it was Dan's doing.

"Blood bats," Ashley curses.

In that second, the Mooshuan was still too weak to instantly move. She was expecting the Ice rune to explode or something, but instead, the Ice rune scatters into a thick tendril of snow and wind, where it turns into something like a tornado. A tentacle of whirling, whirling snow and wind. It stretches and shot into the magic forest that Molly had created, disappearing into the darkness of the Dark Cave. The shield was sucked in by the blizzardy vortex. At first, it edged towards the wind like a baby learning their first steps, but suddenly shot into the hallow yet stormy interior of the snake-like tornado, as if the Ice spell that was cast was made to act as a transport tube of some kind. As soon as the black steel shield zoomed away into darkness, the snowy tornado dissipates, and a cold rush of air blows back Molly's tall wizard hat, and whooshes Ashley's hair up.

"What in blazes was that?" Molly furrows her brows with eyes wide open.

"It was a good thing you pulled me out from that shield before it was recalled," Ashley breathes.

Molly's eyes widens. "I-If that's the case... Ashley, I'm going to use your health potion."

It wasn't even a request, which made Ashley sit there awkwardly while she let her theurgist friend unclick the leather scrap which kept the vial of healing concoctions to Ashley's belt. Drinking it up in one fell swoop, Molly immediately regrets it when she retches into her fist, and shivers went down her spine.

"Euugh," Molly sounds, "I wonder why mana potions taste way better..."

"It seems you've an idea of what to do, Lionheart," Ashley observes. "Seeing as you are quick to already use potions."

Glancing her in the eyes, Molly thought for a moment, and switches to the streets of the Dark Cave that had overgrown into a forest, while quickly consuming a portion of a mana-restoring brew.

"If that Dan skeleton used magic to retrieve his shield, he must still be in battle with my-"

A jolt courses down her neck.

"No way..."

Ashley's eyes remained never-waning, but she still held concern.

"What is it?"

A glance of horrified concern turns Molly's expression.

"My three strongest summons… They were all defeated…"

Grimacing, Ashley grits down on her lip, biting at the thought of what Molly meant.

"What do you mean, Molly?" the sorcerer asks.

Whilst taking wind of Ashley's question, Molly was still experiencing the chill of having her summons defeated. Once a casted spell becomes expelled, all of the mana that was put into it returns to the wizard as a magical feeling that goes down to the soul. In this case, it was a hallowing sensation for Molly. She was able to visualize a giant broadsword that cut into her magical creatures. She could feel the killing intent behind the deadly strike; necromantic surges of screaming souls, tearing into the physical world, and begging to be let out of their thorny cages. Like dust dispersing off an abandoned floor, Molly felt it all disappear when she felt a palm pat her back with a rough demeanor.

"Molly!"

At the sound of her name, her body pulses in surprise.

"oooh," the Life wizard shivers. "Don't do that."

Like a watchdog, Ashley turns her ears, trying to tune in to the surroundings.

"There's no time for idling around," she reminds.

A sudden creeping iciness shakes at the Mooshuan's back. She could feel a grim smile slowly forming.

"You should listen to your friend, Life whelp," a familiar, yet dreadful voice sounds.

From the direction of where Molly ran from the forest, the trees fell apart, bowing away to make a path while a clacking of bones and metal armor approached. Dan the Hulking Skeleton stands triumphant, displaying his massive stature and seemingly growling demeanor. Even if there was no moon in the pseudo-night of the Dark Cave, something like moonlight shined off the silver trimmings of his steel armor, jet black to the most hope-consuming darkness. If looks could kill, Dan's armor could crush stone elementals, proven by the shoulder guards the size of small boulders, breastplate that could rival a bison's charge, and gauntlets that could compliment Dan's potentially deadly grip, but they were corroded by the magical moss that Molly had inflicted upon him before. He had his great broadsword on his shoulder, shield on arm, and in his hands; he held a lifeless body of a seraph, stripped of her crimson-to-pink feathers.

"I know," the skeleton gruffs. "My entrances are quite appalling. All the more reason to see your dreaded reactions."

Not having her spear in hand, Ashley bit her lips. Alternatively, she commands her deck to shoot out from the pocket it was hiding in and into her palm.

"Ashley?" Molly watched.

The Balance wizard took no hesitance. Having the deck in her right hand, she whips her fingers across her body, letting her cards scatter in front of her. Before the cards could fly away with the wind, they loyally remain suspended in the air for Ashley to pick from. Busily, her hands lashes out in front of her, grabbing two cards with each, and they threw the cards away at the left and right of Ashley. The spells sticks flat onto the ground like they were adhesive, and then Ashley raises her hands apart, pushing away like she was trying to stop two walls from either sides.

"Sand Summoning," Ashley chants, "Scorpions!"

The hallow winds of the Dark Cave seems to respond to the sorcerer, and sands come in to surround Ashley, which then turns into a pair of Balance runes, forming at either sides of the Balance wizard where she held her palms up. Four scorpions busts out of the ground, all at the command of Ashley. Dan wasn't really impressed. Instead, a rowdy laughter bellows from the Hulking Skeleton.

"Hahaha! Do you really think that scorpions will be enough for the likes of-"

Like that, his speech was cut off, when at the last second, his diamond-studded eyes find four scorpions in mid-air, lunging for him. However, it is no problem for the skeleton. He steps back, and immediately starting to counterattack with his six-feet-long sword. Each strike was like a flash, and his feet carries him back in small steps, nimbly bisecting all of the scorpions as they were, while his sword spun like a windmill back and forth from the left of Dan to his right, and vice versa. The scorpions' bodies split as they flew past Dan, while he held the sword in a trained stance with both hands near his hip. He could hear the scorpion guts behind him disintegrating into magical dust to be carried away by the wind.

"No way," Molly gasps.

"He wields it with the same finesse as I," Ashley frowns, " _Chikusho..."_

"All the more reason to _run_ ," Dan grimaces, but then it turns into a threatening grin.

"Or…"

The skeleton passes his left hand to the side, letting the black steel shield slide off his arm, and then raises his massive blade in front of him with both hands. He had a foot forward, ready to let the skeleton charge forward. Just as he began to burst from where he stood, he continued his words:

"You can stand-"

He starts run.

"-AND FIGHT!"

At those last, challenging words, Ashley's teeth clamps and grits as her brows furrowed. Her arms were quick to bring her hands up to chest-level, coordinating the hands together to create hand signs in quick succession, uttering something about oxes, rabbits, or boars. Molly watches the Hulking Skeleton ahead of her eyes charging close at impending speeds, and then turned her eyes left to Ashley. The Balance wizard was holding her left middle and index fingers with the right hand, and uttered a few words in her Mooshuan dialect.

 _"Kinkou,"_ the sorceror starts, "Bison _sosen_ , _shisen, horo, hantei-"_

Her ritualistic chanting of words foreign to Molly was suddenly outdone in volume when she felt an overwhelming mass of heat suddenly explode from where Dan was. For a split second, all Molly could catch near the corner of her eye in that timeframe was a sphere of rushing fire, the size of a great boulder that could crush houses, and Dan being unfortunate enough to be get hit with it. The explosion from the resulting blast blew the Life wizard and her sorcerer companion back. Fortunately for them, they were already close to a stone cottage, so the blast didn't take them back so far. In regards of Dan, who was hit directly with the huge fireball, the swirling gush of flames and cinders from the explosion quickly dissipated, revealing him to be still standing.

 _If it weren't for the weight of my armor_ , Dan thinks to himself, _I wouldn't be up... Who is the blundering little weasel that did this to me?_

Dan lets his arm down from eye-level to look at where the fireball came from.

"The hot-headed girl still stands?" he asks. "I was pretty sure you were dead."

At the sound of those words, Molly groaned and struggled to turn her head clockwise. Her cheeks stung at the sensation of pressing her skin, which previously felt melting hot heat, onto the cold surface of the stone cottage's wall. Upon opening her chocolate brown eyes, they widen in surprise.

"Scarlet!" she cries out with her last shred of hope.

There she was, Scarlet Night, a wizard dressed in a reddish-orange outfit: a three-buttoned vest with a cape over a white blouse. Her pants hugged onto her legs, which were fashioned with leather straps, belts, and satchels. Her boots were the same coloured blazing hue as the rest of her outfit, giving the significance that she was a pyromancer, thought her wizard's hat was nowhere to be seen. Scarlet's body was hunched over, as she breathes heavily for her life. Everything from her right chest to her right hand were hanging off grotesquely her body after getting a fatal cut down her shoulder. However, from where the huge gaping cut into her body was, a raging shard of fire was erupting from her wound. But that wasn't the end of the surprises. Behind her left scapula, a wing of fire floated there brazenly.

"What in blazes?" Molly breathes to herself.

From what the Life wizard could tell, Scarlet was in no shape to fight. Her right arm was practically useless, and she would've already bled to death, but that's when Molly realized it; there was no blood anywhere on her skin or clothes. Instead, Scarlet's body seemed to have steam lifting from her. Squinting for a closer inspection, Molly watched the shard of fire that came out of Scarlet's flesh wound. It seems to shrink as Scarlet's shoulder moves back to reconnect with the rest of its body.

"No way," Molly quickly realizes. "The wound, it's healing!"

Her eyes watches in amazement as the fire kept blazing from Scarlet's wound, becoming smaller and less intense as the would closes up. The fire disappeared into cinders, and steam was all that was left from the injury. Not even a scar was left on Scarlet's shoulder. In fact, that portion of her skin looked even healthier that the rest of her body. Molly questions herself if that was even possible. Only her clothes remained, torn and seared. Scarlet opens her mouth to speak, but nothing came out but mere croaks. Dan gawks at Scarlet, unsure of what sound she had just made, and the pyromancer raised a finger at the skeleton, asking for a moment. She clears her throat into her fist, then tries to cough. As if she had a really clingy frog in her throat, she let out a roar, which sounded kind of wimpy hence she was a human. Finally, after a while, Scarlet manages to get her voice working again, and her eyes narrows down onto her undead adversary. Though Scarlet's eyes were a warm amber, they seemed to be connected to Dan's diamond-studded eyes with beams of unbreakable ice.

"That look in your eye," Dan inspects, "Ha, so you weren't a weakling at all-"

Scarlet snaps. "Would you just shut up?"

Just like that, Dan's jaw closes shut. The Fire wizard's feet starts to carry herself forward. With the way she calmly sauntered, Molly could tell that Scarlet wasn't afraid to kill Dan right where he stood. Scarlet rolls her shoulders, enjoying the sensation of crackling pops in her joints, and then rolls her neck. After that, she tilted her head at Dan, with her brows high, yet furrowed, and her eyes wide open. This was a look of someone who clearly does not want to play around. Though she had no wand in hand, nor her deck of spell cards, Scarlet waves her hand forward from her body with her thumb pointed towards her opposite hip, as if she was unsheathing a sword. Like that, the air seems to light up in a trail made by her hand's movement, which turns into a cloud of cinders. The cinders comes together in order to brandish a sword of fire, Scarlet's signature spell: the Cinderblade Cutlass. With it, she takes the sword by the hilt with both hands, raising it over her head as she takes her stance, with her knees bent low.

"I still gotta pay you back to nearly killin' me," Scarlet coldly settles.

Her voice took a different accent, similar to a fox's tongue(an Scottish/Irish accent).

"Ye' wee lil' shit."

Molly hadn't noticed it until now, but Ashley was spectating what was happening by her side. The Balance wizard couldn't exactly see, but all this time, she was staring at Scarlet, how the mana within her flowed through her veins, and such.

"She holds that sword like a _wushu_ practitioner," Ashley mumbles to herself.

Dan wasn't sure if it was his imagination. Though Scarlet was far away, he could not help but notice that one of her eyes changed. One of them lit up, as if the iris was on fire.

 _As if I am supposed to be threatened by that,_ Dan thought.

He produces a grim grin, and starts his unstoppable charge forward, dragging his greatsword behind him by the right hand. The sound from metal being dragged on the ground was like the shiver-inducing silverware clacking with each other. In that instant, Scarlet reacts by puffing fire out through her teeth like a bull, and starts her own attack, running forwards with the cross guard of her fire sword by her hip, held with both of her hands.

Molly couldn't confirm if Scarlet actually breathed fire, leaving the Life wizard confused.

When the two forces of fire and darkness made contact, Dan had his greatsword arched above his head, and swings it down with the intent to crush Scarlet where she stood. But the pyromancer had other intentions. Instead, Scarlet let her sword hand shoot from her hip like a gun, bringing the blade arcing over her head and stopping at her thighs. From that strike, a burst of flames flourishes, forcing back Dan's crushing attack, and makes him stumble back a few steps. It would've flung the skeleton's greatsword away if he didn't have a good grip on it. Merciless as she was, Scarlet quickly leapt up and over Dan. The Cinderblade Cutlass' hilt was by the Fire wizard's ear, and a fierce look of wildness was branded onto her.

"Cripes," Dan grunts as he had to clumsily regain a good grip on his greatsword.

The Hulking Skeleton struggled to quickly reposition his sword to align with his waist, preparing to swing his sword across his body in defense. From the right side of her head, Scarlet sweeps her blade of solid flames across her view as she was in mid-air, hovering above Dan in that span of a second. Within that same moment, Dan scrambled mentally to connect his blade with the incoming offense. The two wielders of swords had their blades connect. Dan's sword was heavier, so Scarlet was launched away headfirst like a missile, barreling away with speed. Annoyed, Scarlet bites her lip, and flips herself backwards to have her soles face the direction she was launched to. The single wing of fire that was on her left back flaps into action once, becoming more intense with flames and embers, and starts to emit a large pillar of scorching heat, slowing Scarlet's movement in mid-air, and thrusts herself back at Dan, like the pyromancer had a magical jetpack.

"I am not done yet!" she preludes her opponent.

Upon making contact with Dan once again, the Fire wizard and the undead juggernaut clashed swords. Dan became surprised to feel the ground rush under his feet. The skeleton shoots backwards from the force of the impact as he held his defense.

"Brat!" Dan growls.

An ominous chuckle comes from Scarlet's grin, as she dares her face close to Dan's while they clashed swords.

"I'm _still_ not done yet!"

She brings her sword back, and swings her opposite hand away from her skeletal foe, resulting in the Fire wizard barreling and swiping her sword up, while her back faced the Hulking Skeleton. Twisting her curvy body, Scarlet comes back with her weapon to deal another strike.

"Have at ye!" she provokes.

Her blade sweeps in diagonally.

"Ye' bloody snake!"

And comes in again to complete an X.

"And when ye' go to hell…"

With the sword held backward, she attacks, stroking the blade upwards.

"…tell the devil that I'm not that far behind!"

The blade was already above her head, and her free hand comes in to hold it along with the hand already in use.

"Because I be cuttin' you up even when I'm dead!"

The double-edged blade of Scarlet's fire blade begins to illuminate. The rushing torrent of cinders and air that made up the Cinderblade Cutlass' chainsaw-like edge spins even faster, to the point where a high pitched sound could be heard.

"HRRRRRRRRAAAAAGH!" Scarlet yells.

The brings the magical blade down. On instinct, Dan raises the flat of his blade against the attack. And that is when hell breaks loose. A flourish of flames sprouts from the violent contests of swords. The ground crumbles around them in a pattern like a spider web, and sinks a feet down, creating a spanning yet shallow crater around the girl of Fire and the Hulking Skeleton clad in black armor, while a firestorm blossoms around them, spontaneously disintegrating all the dead trees, briars, and bushes. The stones that made up the cottages around the street erodes from the fierce heat. The glass of the windows shatters. Fortunately enough, Ashley and Molly were in a safe distance, crouching down on grass behind a stone fence.

"It's so intense," Molly squints her eyes.

To Ashley, the mana expressed from the firestorm was so great, it was too bright for her, almost blinding her mystic vision, even though she was already blind physically. Through the fire and flames, Scarlet grits her teeth whilst contending against Dan. The skeleton's armor itself melted away from the intense blast.

 _How could a little hotheaded runt hold so much power?!_ Dan questions himself bewildered in his entirety.

After the fire, came the smoke. After the smoke, came the dust. After the dust, the area was clear to the naked eye once more, displaying the Hulking Skeleton and the Scarlet Spellblade still holding swords against each other. Most of Dan's armor melted away, and a few pieces of armor were still red hot, welded onto his bones from the blast. Unable to stay in the air forever, the raging torrent of heat from Scarlet's single wing became less intense, and her feet met the ground. During that short moment of weakness, Dan takes the advantage, and twists his sword around, locking it with Scarlet's cutlass, and attempts to fling it away. Like that, Scarlet's hands were in the air, with one set of fingers having her weapon in hand, while she was forced to stumble back a short distance.

 _Thanks to you,_ Dan thinks, _There is no more armor to weigh me down. Now my attacks are faster!_

 _"_ It's the end for you!" the skeleton roars forth.

A swift stroke of the sword upwards, and a spray of blood brandishes into the air. Molly's eyes widened, while Ashley's ears twitched at the horrific sound of flesh splitting and blood spilling. Time slows down. Drops of blood floats above Scarlet's face, tailing from the wound reaching from her waist, across her heart, above her left breast, and out her shoulder. Dan's eyes grows excited with a mix of satisfaction from the gruesome sight. Whilst flying back from the fatal laceration across her torso, Scarlet's pale blonde bangs waves slowly, hiding her eyes, as the rest of her hair was yet to be painted with blood.

"You will not die here," a strange voice echoes.

From those words, Dan's fingers gripped firmly around his sword's hilt.

"What in Tartarus?"

Suddenly, Scarlet's head jerks down her body to give Dan a death stare. Her eyes were still filled with the light of life, as fire burned from both of her irises literally. More blood spurts out of Scarlet's gash, but she yanks her body back, curving her body concave away from the skeleton menace, while also readying her sword arm across her mouth. With a single swing, another blast of hellfire bursts between the two fighters. It was enough to throw Dan back, tumbling backwards against the ground a few yards away. Mumbles of curses and swears grits from his teeth as the unarmored skeleton pushed off the ground, but that's when his eyes widened as he glances up. Ahead of him, a blazing bonfire raged. Within, a silhouette. As the figure within the heart of the flames neared, the silhouette gained color. Scarlet stood as if she was never hurt at all. Fire burns at her body, but not even her clothes were harmed. All the bruises of her was gone. The laceration that Dan had inflicted on the pyromancer girl from before was now healing, until only a scar remained. The fire seemed to wash away the blood on her, like a cleansing light. Not only that, but her skin became healthy as a baby's. Her hair turned golden blonde from the pale saturation it used to be. The amber in her eyes were fiery with fighting spirit, and lastly, there were now _two_ wings of fire on her back.

"Not here," the strange voice from before resounds again.

As the odd words appeared, Scarlet's lips moved accordingly to them.

"Not now," Scarlet says in that voice.

The voice was ethereal and soft, as if it belonged to an immortal queen. However, there was still a stern tone to it. Scarlet's arm moves, raising her sword up to point at Dan, yet the Fire wizard's eyes moves around, shaking back and forth from her hand, to Dan, to her healed wounds, to the fire around her, as if she didn't know what she was doing, but again, Scarlet's lips part to utter more words.

"I curse you, Ophidian," she speaks in that ethereal voice. "Damn you, Champion of the Serpents. Rended is your name, Kin to the Fire Dancers. You dare to harm my vessel. Pay the price with your blood."

Scarlet sweeps the sword to her side, cutting the air and replacing it with fire.

"Diocles, your values are sundered- rrrrrRRRRAH!"

Mid-sentence, the words tore open into Scarlet's normal voice.

"GET!"

She swings her head.

"OUT!"

She punches her face left.

"OF!"

She tears at her scalp right.

"MY!"

She claws her hand around her face.

"HEAD!"

Scarlet shreds her hand away from her face as if she was wearing a mask, and an outburst of Fire magic erupts behind her.

"THIS IS MY FIGHT!" she yells out loud.

Dan notices a dash of insanity in her eyes while Scarlet jabs her thumb at herself.

"AND MY FIGHT ONLY!" she roars.

With those last words branded clean onto her intentions, Scarlet raises her sword. As she did, the her wings of fire opens and spread its feathers freely as the angle of the wings grew. By the time Scarlet lifted her weapon above her head, it was reshaped from its ragged, short, exotic blade to a long, sizable, greatsword of pure Fire magic, and a wielder filled with determination behind it. Like a bull, she huffs flames out through her teeth, and the girl of Fire hauls her sword down past her hips with tremendous force. With that swing, the fire that engulfed Scarlet went along with the stroke, and she fires a tall, raging shockwave of cutting flames towards the skeleton which tore furrows into the ground as it travelled.

"GRRRAAAAH!"

_A fang of fury. A crescent moon falling upon the world. A phoenix's talon._

"Wh-WHAT IN TARTARUS IS WITH THIS POWER?" Dan cries out in outrage.

Frantic desperation formed within the beads of sweat the skeleton is somehow perspiring. The Hulking Skeleton scrambles onto his feet, whipping up Ice magic while he was at it. Though he had no spellcard, Dan presses his palm forward, and an Ice rune materializes.

"Ice Arts: Tower Shield, Volcanic Shield!"

Three kite shields forms when the Ice rune gave up its form. One was white and beige with a spiral symbol in the center. Another was orange with a fire symbol. The last was purple with a storm symbol. The Storm shield disappears as there was no use for it. Instead, the Fire shield and the Tower shield melts into a pink force field, with all the magical energy concentrated in front of the skeleton as a dome-shaped barrier. But even with that defense, the fang of flames that Scarlet had fired pierced through the Tower and Fire Shields combined, resulting in an explosion that knocks Dan away barreling in mid-air. Because he wasn't in heavy armor, Dan was able to land on his feet. The steel boots went _CLANG_ against the cobblestone.

"Go to hell, ye graven bastard," Scarlet's voice utters.

The sudden words caught Dan off-guard. It wasn't filled with anger. Instead, the words were calm, yet menacing, sending shivers down his spine. The skeleton glances down to find Scarlet, crouching down on one leg like she was about to jump, her sword, back to its normal short length, by her hip, her orange-red cape flowing in slow motion, and a pair of fire-fueled eyes, one directly staring at Dan, and the other hidden in the shadow of her bangs.

_Scarlet's hair was flowingly pure..._

…as she flung her blade upwards with the grace of a breaching mermaid from the perilous depths of a lake of fire.

Dan's ribcage was cut cleanly and seared black.

Another swing downwards.

The skeleton's right arm and shoulder fell off.

And finally, a single thrust forward, finding the sword pierced through the spine. Scarlet twists her wrist, and her blade follows the movement, crushing the vertebrae and ultimately bisecting Dan. Though he did not cry out, Dan's eyes clearly showed pain. Before his bony body could fall apart, Dan found his skull approached suddenly by Scarlet's single hand. The thumb goes through his skull's nose, while the pointer and ring finger went for his eye sockets, consequently pressing into the skeleton's eyeballs. Every millisecond of agonizing pain courses through Dan's soul. At that point, Scarlet has her hold of Dan's skull, feeling the gross texture of crushed eyeball on her fingers, and like that, she rips the skeleton's head off. It was a gruesome show of victory one couldn't bear to watch. Glancing at her morbid trophy of war, Scarlet's eyes softens, but they grew colder.

"I win, Dan..."

Whistling winds harrows out the atmosphere once more. The darkness closes in on Scarlet as her wings of fire begin to give up, with each feather made of flames dwindling into the umbral sky. The pyromancer's rich blonde hair waves around in the wind, appearing clean and pure, much like her skin. Normally, one would have bruises, scratches, or marks after a battle, but Scarlet stands victorious, clean of any sign of battle, except for the Runed Skull she held in her hand, and the flame-decorated outfit that was torn down the right shoulder and diagonally down her torso. Despite her clothes or the skull, the fire was like a refreshing bath that cleansed away impurities, leaving the fire-weaving girl with an all-perfect body, hair, skin, face, and all. There Scarlet stood:

_A beautiful queen with pristine golden hair._

"Scarlet!" she shouts out.

As the call of her name, the pyromancer turns her head. "Huh?"

Ashley watches Molly run up ahead, but then her eyes widen, and she quickly gets up.

"Hold on, _Molly_ - _san!_ "

Scarlet wasn't sure what to say as she saw her questmates run up to her.

"Oh..." she says, "Hey guys-"

The greeting was cut short as Molly throws herself onto Scarlet, making the pyromancer lose hold of the Runed Skull.

"AAAH?" Scarlet sounds out in bewilderment with a blush streaking across her cheeks.

"You're alive!" Molly chortles into her shoulder.

"We've barely known each other..." Scarlet chuckles hesitantly.

"Just let her do it," Ashley steps forth.

"Huh?" Scarlet sounds as she looks to the Mooshuan.

Looking upon the show of Molly and Scarlet, Ashley chuckles gently and straps her spearheaded staff onto her back, then crosses her arms.

"She can be worried about her patients, that Molly, especially the ones who've had low chances of survival," the Balance wizard smiles. "Her emotions sometimes gets the best of her.

"I-I see," Scarlet half-smiles.

"S-Sorry," Molly says as she embarrassingly unhugs the Fire wizard. "It's true... I worry a lot."

After she took a step back form Scarlet, she notices something.

"Scarlet, your hair. It's more... blonde?"

"Huh?"

Scarlet blinks and her fingers take hold of a lock of her hair from the side of her head, glancing upon its luster.

"It used to be more pale, if I had to remember," Molly added.

"Yeah..." Scarlet almost whispers. "Is it magic?"

Ashley leans in towards Scarlet. She could faintly see bits of insignificant mana in her hair, but then she sniffs it out.

"A-Ashe?" Scarlet stammers.

"She can smell very small traces of magic," Molly explains.

Scarlet watches Ashley take her scent. She wondered if she could notice her coconut body wash. She couldn't help but wonder, _Being blind, but being able to not only see, but smell mana. What's next? Can she taste troll dust in the air?_

"Yes," Ashley confirms. "I can smell mana. It is like freshly baked bread and pies."

"That's what magic smells like?" Scarlet questions.

Ashley shrugs. "That is what _your_ magic smells like."

 _It smells like... a nice home with a fireplace,_ the Mooshuan thinks further on. _That's what I think of from the scent at least._

Scarlet blinks awkwardly at Ashley and her multi-coloured eyes. Glancing upon her hair again, she sighs.

"Bourke would've killed to see my hair like this again."

A whisk of sentiment wisps around her softened eyes and reminiscing words.

"Bourke?" Molly questions.

"Oh." Scarlet lets go of her hair. "That's my old man. Well, adoptive old man at least. He's a big old badger blacksmith with a mustache."

Molly raises a brow. "Badger blacksmith? Bourke? You can't possibly mean Bourke de la Janvier."

"You know him?" Scarlet asks while scratching her cheek. "I miss him..."

"He is the legendary blacksmith of the Knights of the Silver Rose. We learned about him in Worlds History."

"Wow," Scarlet mockingly gawked astonished. "I didn't now he had a name for himself."

"No, you don't understand," Molly says. "How could he have been your caretaker? He died over a half a century ago sometime after the Froudling War."

Now Scarlet had her attention grabbed. "What the hell? What do you mean he's dead?"

"You talk as if you knew him personally," Ashley observes.

"I _do_ know him!" Scarlet exclaims. "I grew up with the old fart! He taught me how to fight with a sword!"

The words repeated in Ashley's head, and Molly turned towards the Balance wizard.

"Hey Ashe, she isn't joking, is she?" Molly worriedly asks.

"There is no doubting her ability with a sword," Ashley nods.

Molly steps in. "Tell me Scarlet, how did he train you?"

"He threw a sword at me," Scarlet puts simply.

Molly blinks. "What?"

"He threw a greatsword at me. He taught me how to fight with Scarlet Rose."

"That was the sword, wasn't it?" Molly glances Ashley. "What do you know about the Scarlet Rose?"

"Um, it's as tall me, almost." Scarlet doesn't really put much mind on it. "It's made with silver, and it paints itself red with blood. I used it myself in the war."

"You fought in that war?" Molly asks with clawing curiosity.

"Yeah, when the Froudlings invaded the Wild through Dun Dara. I was there, at the Toadstool Village."

The image of a village of giant mushrooms built on a hill made into terraces materialized into her mind. It was a fresh crisp feel in the air that was always at that part of the Wild, where leprechauns wore the same green attire as the steep-leveled terraces they constructed their toadstool abodes on.

"That was also the place where I found out I could use Fire magic," Scarlet finishes after imagining Toadstool Village.

"Golden blonde hair..." Molly repeats to herself, as if she's realized something.

"What?"

Molly's thoughtful watch over the ground as she rubs her chin was then pulled up by Scarlet's words.

"... Nothing," Molly mutters. "Let's just get back to the Festival Grounds in Cyclops Lane. We have what we needed."

"What we needed..." Scarlet echoes to herself.

Turning around, she spots the Runed Skull, or Dan's skull as she now considers it. It was pretty amazing how the skull kept white and uncracked, even with all the gems embedded into it, or after the intense fire Scarlet brought down upon him. The fire wizard saunters by the bejeweled cranium and picks it up by the eye sockets and nose hole. She could feel the eye juices within the skull wetting her fingerprints, much to Scarlet's disgust. And like that, the skull's jaw drops open midway as Scarlet picks it up, letting out a cry of pain.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Dan cried.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Scarlet screams.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Molly joined in unison.

Ashley stood where she was unimpressed.

Scarlet lets go of the skull, scampering back in fright.

After another yell to null the pain, Dan shouts at Scarlet, "AH! THAT HURT, YOU WHELP!"

"WHY ARE YOU STILL ALIVE?" Scarlet screeches.

Though he had no eyeballs, yellow sparks representing irises and pupils appeared in the emptiness of his eye sockets. The moved downwards to only see the ground.

"I HAVE NO BODY!" Dan yells. And then starts to scream again. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Scarlet screams. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Molly screams, but with a smile. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Ashley was already walking away.

 _I'm surprised I'm not deaf yet,_ the Balance wizard thinks. _I can't even hear myself._

* * *

After that whole bout of screaming at amidst other, the three wizardly girls and one blinged-out skull were heading back to Festival Park, where Nolan Stormgate was holed up. They were already near the streams of the park, where the grass was green, and the sun shined like day as summer always held its throne here in Cyclops Lane. While Ashley and Molly had signs of battle and wear, and Dan remained fine. Scarlet appeared as if she just had a great rest, but her clothes screamed like they just got pulled out after being stuck in a woodchipper. Maybe that was an exaggeration. But her cape was tattered, and a large scrappy cut was down her vest and blouse's torso, which brought to mind:

"Hey guys, do you have a spell that could fix up my shirt?" Scarlet requests.

Both Molly and Ashley shook their heads.

"Great," Scarlet sighs. "Not only do my clothes have this big-ass cut, but the front of my bra is split apart too. Any moment now, and my boobs would be showing, then I'd really have to beat that Nolan guy up if he even turns his head towards my chest."

The pyromancer's hand reaches under her garments, and pulls out a damaged white bra. If it was unhooked, it would fall apart in two. Scarlet casually tosses it over her shoulder and into a bush.

"I can give you my sweater that I'm wearing under my _cheongsam_ ," Ashley offers.

"That'd be great," Scarlet sighs in relief.

"Wait hold on!" Dan starts.

Scarlet was still a bit startled by a talking skull, despite defeating him with all her will to kill. She holds Dan up.

"I wanna see your boobs!" Dan grins.

A vein emerges on Scarlet's forehead, and she lobs the cranium far away into a stream. After that, silence reigned.

Realizing they had just lost the Runed Skull, Ashley stares at Scarlet. "Did you just..."

"It was worth it," Scarlet mumbles.

Ashley's stern gaze seemed to be upset with Scarlet, but she nods.

"Yeah, it was."

"Say, weren't you going to give me your sweater?" Scarlet asks.

"Yes. Give me a moment."

The three halted in order to let Ashley undress. Her hands went to undo the laces on her olive-colored _cheongsam_ top, and uncovers her black sweater. Taking that off, the Mooshuan was left in a graphic tank top with a green bird of prey on it, which was a peregrine, representing her house: the Green Peregrines. She tosses the black sweater to Scarlet, and the blonde pyromancer snatches it out of the air with a hand.

"Thanks," Scarlet nods.

After putting it on, Scarlet notices something on Ashley's body.

"You have tattoos?" Scarlet observes.

Ashley nods.

Contemplating at Ashley's toned figure, Scarlet had a weird feeling within, but dismisses it. Her eyes' first finds themselves oogling at two tattoos on the right side of her neck, and on her left breast. All of them were Mooshuan words, so it appears to Scarlet.

"What do they say?" Scarlet leans towards the sorcerer's tattoos.

"Hmm?" Ashley sounds, and points to her neck.

" _Hantei,_ " she explains. "It is 'judgement.'"

Then she points to her breast.

" _Nishi,_ it is 'west.'"

"Why are they there?" Scarlet asks.

"I felt like getting them," Ashley shrugs.

"I thought only other people gets pointless Mooshuan words on their body like 'love' or 'beauty.'"

"These mean something," Ashley mumbles. "Let's not get into it."

"But you're blind." Scarlet raises an eyebrow. "How do you know what they say?"

Ashley's expression towards Scarlet turned melancholy. "I was not always blind, novice. Let us leave it at that."

Shaking the matter off her mind, the Balance wizard guided the topic to something more worth noting.

"Anyways, you threw that Runed Skull."

Her finger struts out to point to the streams.

"Go get it."

Scarlet opened her mouth to argue, but she loses it.

"Whatever."

Putting the black sweater on after taking off her old top, she chases in the direction of where she threw Dan. All the while, Molly and Ashley returned to festival park. Their faces weren't exactly impressed when they found Nolan Stormgate eating from a bag of chocolate humongofrogs. Nolan himself didn't seem to notice the two girls. Instead, the lazy conjurer was watching something through a floating crystal ball while snacking on his chocolate treats.

"Hey good-for-nothing, we are back," Ashley calls.

Her spear-staff goes flying with a flick of her wrist, and it ended up pinning Nolan's hood into the post of the staged tent he is sitting. Despite that, Nolan barely looked up.

"Oh you're back," he mutters. "Did you guys chicken out?"

Ashley twitches her cheek.

"Take a good look at us."

Nolan snickers and spreads his body on the wooden stage, glancing down upon Molly and Ashley.

"I'd gladly stare at you girls all day- Whoa. Man, you guys are shredded!"

He realizes what he's said.

"I mean, your clothes. Not muscles."

"Yeah," Molly nods with a mocking tone.

"So uh..."

Nolan wags his fingers between the two wizardly girls.

"Where's the skull-"

His voice stops when a faint screaming rings in his ears. Louder and louder the sound grows, yet Nolan kept moving his head left and right, and that's when he lifts his chin and eyes towards the clouds.

"Oh."

Dan's terrified voice poured out of his jaws for his life as the Runed Skull shot down from the sky like a meteor. Nolan didn't quite catch what was going on. All he knew that there was a round-ish object falling from the sky... right for him. Suddenly, a sharp pulse of pain impacted his butt. The conjurer clenched his teeth, while the Molly flinched.

Ashley's face didn't change. "What? What happened?"

Dan groans out loud.

"Where... am I?" His gruff voice mutters.

And that's when the skeleton head heard that his voice was muffled.

"Where am I?"

"You're on his behind," Molly points.

There he was: Dan the Runed Skull found his face in Nolan's buttcheeks.

"WHAT THE HELL?" Dan shrieked, despite his low villainous voice. "NO! STOP. THAT'S GAY!"

The skull attempted to move, but all he did was rock back and forth between Nolan's buttcheeks, while the Myth wizard himself seemed to be touched out of reality, like he was in denial. At the same time, Scarlet returned with her wizardly garb in hand, approaching behind Ashley and Molly.

"Hey guys, what's up-"

Abruptly, her voice broke into a wheezing, and Scarlet fell onto her knees, then began to laugh.

"HA! THAT'S THE BEST THING EVER!" she cackles.

"I don't get it," Ashley mumbled blindly.

"GUYS," Dan cries out, "THIS ISN'T FUNNY. I'M OBNOXIOUSLY STRAIGHT."

Nolan's jaws tightened though he tried to talk. "THERE'S SOMETHING MOVING ON MY-"

His words stops as he took a moment to internally scream.

* * *

After that whole mess, Nolan sat still as a statue on the colorful tarp-roofed wooden stage, holding the Runed Skull in his hands, contemplating it like he was Hamlet.

"So, you guys _did_ find the Runed Skull."

He hums out in thought while rubbing his chin.

"Faster than I could've imagined... Professor Drake will be pleased with me."

Scarlet couldn't believe the nerve of this guy. Shoulders stiffed, her head turned like a rusty axle towards Ashley and Molly.

"So... Can we kill him?" She asks.

"Later."

Nolan waves the skull beside his head, making Dan dizzy.

"This skull nearly killed you guys?"

"He ruined my expensive robes!" Scarlet complains.

"And chopped you down the shoulder," Molly added.

Scarlet blinks. "Oh, and that too. Thanks, Dan."

The skull's entire head moved except for his jaw which was held by Nolan's hand as he spoke.

"You're welcome," his grim voice sounded.

Nolan shivers from the nape of the neck down.

"And here I thought I had the traumatic experience. Nothing like clenching your asshole after one."

"You didn't have to add that last part," Molly coughs.

Scarlet smirks a bit. "What? You don't do that when you're on tilt?"

"W-What?"

"Face it. It's something we all do."

"H-How did we even get to this subject?" Ashley asks with a receding face.

"I don't clench my behind when I'm in a tough spot," Dan brags while in Nolan's hand. "Ophidians are made to be strong in battle."

"But you're a head," Nolan mutters.

"I used to have a body."

"You're a skeleton," Scarlet adds.

"Oh yeah," Dan concludes. "I forgot about that."

A strange silence was shared amidst the four people and a bejeweled skull. The talk of rear ends seemed to have placed an awkward atmosphere.

"ANYWAYS," Molly starts, "We got you the Runed Skull."

"Is that what they call me nowadays?" Dan asks.

"Be quiet, you're a prisoner of war," Scarlet snaps. "Or... more like you belong in a museum."

The fire wizard lets out a "heh" as she smiles, then poses while pointing with no aim.

"You belong in a museum!" Scarlet recites all cool.

Ashley's ears twitches. "Is that from a book or something?"

"Huh..." the pyromancer sounds. "I... don't know."

She shakes the topic off.

"Anyways, the quest." Scarlet points at Nolan. "You didn't even do anything, did you?"

A chuckle coupled from Nolan's lips and his free hand rose up into the air, guiding the floating crystal ball that he was watching down to his eye level.

"Earlier, before you guys came, I told a few students to pick up Death relics up the street. Now they're nowhere to be found. I thought that it was no doubt that they were gabbing instead of working."

He leans back against a wooden post, with a brooding look in his silver eyes. Though he looks like a total douchebag, Scarlet could help but think he appeared kinda cool. She had to punch herself for that.

"So then, I went to look for the students-" Nolan continues. "-on the slim, slim chance that something's happened to them. I started with the Trolls."

He points up the street, towards the white and yellow stone towers and houses.

"They looked shifty, and so I found this."

The hooded conjurer held up a letter, bordered with ornate patterns.

"A letter?" Scarlet tilted her head.

"Yeah, it's odd," Nolan nodded. "Trolls can't read. By the handwriting..."

He sets Dan aside to trace a finger along the lines of written words with the other hand holding the paper.

"A Cyclops wrote this. They never dot their 'i's."

"I didn't take you for a detective," Molly mumbles.

"That's just basic Conjuration teachings," Nolan says as he lowers the paper. "Who knew I'd be using that knowledge for this?"

"I did not expect for Nolan to have some degree of modesty," Ashley smirks.

"Hmph," Nolan sounds. "Anyways, it's address to "M," whoever that is. Take a look."

A hand outstretched to Molly, Nolan hands the letter to her. She takes it and her eyes scans it like a typewriter.

"Great fire bats..." she mouths out loud. "The Cyclopes have kidnapped the students!"

Molly hesitates to glance up at Nolan.

"As much as I hate to admit it, it was a good thing you found this."

Nolan grins, but quickly loses it.

"Yeah, but we must act immediately," he grimaces.

The girls turns to each other, and nods.

"But who is this 'M'?" Scarlet questions.

"That could be anything," Ashley thinks aloud.

Dan's eyes switched among the students, and laughs.

"You fools! It's _soooo_ obvious who that is."

Like an owl, Ashley clocks her head towards the Runed Skull.

"Who is it?"

"No," Dan grins.

"Tch," the Balance wizard sounds.

Her hand struts out towards her spear-staff, and it un-wedges itself from the wooden post it was lodged in, and flies into her hand. With threatening speed, she jabs the spear into the wooden stage, a centimeter from missing Dan's bare teeth.

"Tell. Us," she growls.

" _Oooh_ ," Scarlet sounds in the background with a sly look. "Bad cop. I like that~"

"I've got a great dane back at Ravenwood that's hungry for more than just a bone," Ashley grumbles.

"Pfft," Dan sounds. "Even if I wanted to, I couldn't. The wretched person who awakened me in the cave put a seal on me to do their bidding. I can't even say whether they are a he or a she, or an it."

Ashley's face scrunches up and she sighs disappointedly.

" _Kuso,_ " she begrudgingly curses.

It wasn't often Scarlet held concern for someone she had only known for a day or two. The Fire wizard's eyes rests upon the Ashley.

 _She must be really intent on finding out what's happening to Wizard City_ , Scarlet ponders.

It was the same thoughts for Nolan, though they were short-lived. He wets his lips and crosses his arms while gazing beyond the three girls, to the carnvial tents and the summer trees of Festival Park.

"Man, I hope they are not going to blame me for those students getting themselves kidnapped," he broods.

"You could've at least worded that in a way where I don't want to punch you so much..." Scarlet mutters.

Nolan sudden straightens up with a smile. "I know! I'll inform Professor Drake at once. He'll know what to do. When I tell him how those students got themselves kidnapped while I was..."

His words faltered off, but his fingers then struts towards the three girls.

"On second thought, I think one of YOU guys should go tell him. I'll stay here and... keep an _eye_ on the cyclopes."

"Are you kidding?" Molly asks. "After all we went through?"

Though her tone was filled with disbelief, her usually calm nature only shifted her expression to a face of doubt.

"Oh come on," Nolan tries to convince, "How about you, novice?"

The conjurer turns to Scarlet.

"You look like you could go back to get some fresh clothes and a new wand."

Scarlet raises a brow. "Huh?"

Her amber eyes lowered to her hands. She recalls how her wand was cut in two along with her Cinderblade Cutlass spell after she clashed blades with Dan while he was still a Hulking Skeleton.

"You also have no bra," Nolan points out.

"Wh-What?" Scarlet snaps in confusion.

Nolan raises a finger like an expert. "Any seasoned pervert should know that when prominent breasts like yours are in no bra, they hang off a bit to the side and commonly aren't held up. Easier to tell with your C cups. 34C to be exact."

Dan notices Nolan's knowledge, and grins up to him.

"Hey hey!" Dan smiles. "You should teach me what you know!"

Meanwhile, Scarlet hurriedly covers her chest area with her hands hugging her shoulders.

"How the hell does he know my size?"

Her face was like it received a shock of bewilderment. Meanwhile, Ashley approached Nolan. Her shoulders shifted back and forth with confidence as the sorcerer came forward.

"Nolan..."

The conjurer turned his ears to the sorcerer's voice with smoochy lips. "Yesss, Ashley?-"

Like thunder, Ashley twists around to let her back face Nolan, and thrusts her right leg up backwards, driving her high-heeled boot up Nolan's chin, launching him away. Scarlet was amazed at how fast and graceful Ashley pulled it off, eyeing her... rather desirably-sculpted leg that was raised in the air, which then lowered back to make Ashley's refined stature.

"Know your place," she rebukes with her sharp multi-colored eyes.

Dust scattered when Nolan hit the ground with a thud. Fortunately for Dan, the skull was simply dropped onto the stage when the Myth wizard holding him was kicked away.

"Nice legs, spear girl," Dan compliments form nowhere.

Ashley turns her ear to the skull, but then lets out a "Hmph."

Switching to other matters, she turns to Scarlet.

"Scarlet, I suggest that you return to Ravenwood to report to Professor Drake as Nolan said."

Scarlet blinks at her. She couldn't help but sigh.

"Alright then," the Fire wizard nods. "What will you guys be doing here?"

Molly steps up behind Ashley. "I suppose we'll investigate further if we can. But for now, we'll try to rest up to recover strength."

"I'll remember to pick up some health potions or something when I come back," Scarlet nods.

Straying around her hips, Scarlet's fingers approaches a small satchel and pockets that were sewn onto her leather belts. Feeling it reach inside the satchel, her hand scrounges inside and pulls out everything within.

"Huh," Scarlet utters.

It was buttermilk hard candy, a few gold coins, and what she was searching for, a stick of chalk. However, there was also something else: the teleportation rune that Headmaster Ambrose gave her. It was made of light stone, with a rune carved into it, about the size of a biscuit. In addition, there was something that Scarlet swore she never had before: a Phoenix spell card. Holding it up, the Fire wizard noticed that it didn't have a golden luster. In other words, it wasn't a treasure card, spellcards that could only be cast once. Molly notices it, and comes over to Scarlet's side. Her hands pick it out from the other items in Scarlet's possession.

"Phoenix..." Molly observes.

The card had ornate yellow-orange flame designs around a olden-style portrait of a magical bird of fire. Below, words in Latin were imprinted onto the description: _Tuens pullos avis de igne._

"Where did you get this?" Molly asks.

Blonde hair hung over the card, and amber eyes lingered above the intricately-designed Fire spell. Scarlet didn't know where or how. It wasn't in her deck, and she hadn't learned the spell either. However, the card felt eerily familiar to her, though she swore she never had a hold of it before.

"Who knows," Scarlet shrugs. "I guess I'll ask Dalia on my way back."

Molly raises a brow. "Dalia?"

"Oh," Scarlet sounds.

Most students of Ravenwood only know of their teachers' last names. Scarlet has a bad habit of calling her superiors by their first names, as was the case with Bourke de la Janvier.

"I meant Professor Falmea."

The image of the instructor pops in her mind. She is the chief professor of the Fire school, and she had the looks for it too. All Scarlet could formally remember was her super cow-licked hair, which was brought up into a shape of a flame. That's literally it. Professor Falmea literally had a blonde-to-ginger lock of hair that was raised up to shape a flame. Other than that, Falmea had features that Scarlet disliked. Rather, she was jealous of; supple breasts, curvy sides, and a beautifully taunting face that Scarlet wanted to punch. In basic, Scarlet didn't like her teacher. But enough about her. Scarlet was already tired of imagining the Fire wizard professor. She had to go report to Professor Cyrus Drake.

The Fire wizard blinks into the summer scenery of Festival Park in thought.

She's never met the Myth Professor before. However, Scarlet did manage to remember a bit of his portrait from a brochure for Ravenwood:

A bald head.

Scarlet smiles uncomfortably.

The shine on a bald head.

Scarlet chuckles weakly. The Fire novice never saw bald people before, and they seemed pretty freaky to her.

"Well guys."

Scarlet sighs for a fresh breath, and then turns to Ashley and Molly who stood with their clothes rustling in Cyclops Lane's occasional breezes.

"Anything to get for you guys when I get back?"

Ashley shakes her head, while Molly nods.

"Go to the Infirmary, and ask my colleague for the scalpel," the Life wizard says.

"The scalpel?" Scarlet repeats after Molly. "And by colleague, you mean Ryane Tulipshine?"

Molly nods.

 _Great,_ Scarlet thinks. _I have to visit two people with ridiculous racks. A teacher and a nurse._

The Fire wizard's left hand closes with all the items from her satchel to return them to their storing place, while her right hand held up a stick of chalk. With it, Scarlet creates an X on the ground.

 _I want to come back here,_ Scarlet thinks as she visualizes the words flowing in a blob of mana through her veins, out her fingers, and into the chalk mark, finishing the ritual for a teleportation marker.

On the other hand, Scarlet holds up the teleportation rune that Headmaster Ambrose gave her.

"Use this to return to the Commons in a time of trouble," Scarlet could imagine the old man explaining.

Light in her hand, she waves the biscuit-like stone in the air.

"You guys know how to use this thing?" Scarlet questions towards the others.

Nolan was unconscious on the cobblestone ground of the carnival grounds. Molly shook her head, while Dan couldn't shake his entirety to say no. Ashley asked what it was, since she was blind, and Scarlet explained.

"Ah," the Mooshuan says, "You just crush it in your hands."

"Crush a rock," Scarlet utters in disbelief.

"Yes. It is made to only to be crushed by hands or feet when intended for use."

Shrugging along with the short instruction, Scarlet's fingers and palm tightened around the teleportation rune, it crumbled like a cookie, breaking into milky ribbons of clouds to wrap around the wizard. Soon as the magical dust binds around Scarlet's arms and chest, the pyromancer poofs away into a gentle explosion of Fire magic. Ashley and Molly watches as the cinders whisks away with the wind.

"I suppose we should start to make a drawing board with Nolan Stormgate," Ashley breaks the silence while gazing at the magic in the visionless sky.

"Like, to rest while we come up with possibilities in the investigation?" Molly tilts her head.

Ashley nods, and returns her direction in Nolan's direction.

"Did you hear me, mythical peasant?" The Balance wizard calls out to Nolan. "Come here!"

Little did she know however, the Conjurer was still dazed with his bruised face on the ground and his behind sticking up in the air, like a lifeless dummy. Grumbling with irritation, Ashley marches towards Nolan. Molly's eyes follow after her friend, and giggles.

"Hold on!" She calls to the sorcerer with a hand out.

And so her chocolate brown hair waves in the wind as she trots along, while green leaves whisks by her black short skirt and cascades up towards the clouds.


	25. Riding the Storm

Upon glancing at the door, Emily Stormheart could see her reflection in the small stained glass window shaped like a circle. The stained glass diluted the color from Emily's reflection. Originally, her hair was a deep lilac, but it was like the window played with the Storm wizard’s image, warping the hues into red, green, and whatever colors stained glass could be. But the thing was...

Emily is colorblind.

So, colors weren't really a thing for her. Worlds of colorized wonders always filled Emily’s mind, but she never really knew why. Colors—to her—were useless, yet it’s as if her subconscious wished to know what these different, vibrant hues are. What is red, that flows through our veins, when it is no brighter than oil out of a copper golem? What is blue; the sky and the sea, that is meant to be the same colors, yet the sky is gloomy gray with uninteresting white patches, while the sea is dark, growing transparent til' the shore. What is green, like the leaves that fall from Bartleby which eventually turn yellow? In her eyes, she only sees the gray leaves become corrupt with the brightness of ash. What sweetness is the orange in… oranges? Many perceive shades of gray as connotations of depression, neutralism, and boredom. Despite the many colors being filtered from Emily’s eyes, she has never really felt these more-or-less dampening emotions about it. All she has ever known in her life was the joy of brightness and the unknown of the dark, which didn't disturb her. A girl can wonder, even if colors are for losers.

Looking at her face, Emily let the shades of gray be distorted by the stained glass, but at least he could still make out her freckles.

In the reflection, Emily spotted her questmates beside her approaching;  the small Cori Stormcaster, the skittish Shui-Lei Stormflower, the well-dressed Adrian Kensington, and  Suzie Gryphonbane who was pushing a petrified Duncan Grimwater into the view. He was still paralyzed by a recent kiss he received from Suzie. It wouldn't be a lie if one said it was like he stared a gorgon in the eyes, cursed into stone with heartthrob and surprise.

"This is the place right?" Emily asks while looking at the reflection of Suzie in the stained-glass window of the door. "The place where Blad Raveneye is?"  

"This is the Four Falls Storm Mill," Suzie Gryphonbane nods.

Suzie's hands let go of Duncan's white and black robes and swept aside her curly bangs to the side gently as she approaches the storm mill's door. Her hand pressed against the dark, oak wood and her eyes glanced left to see the pond where a watermill was churning. The leafy vines of the willow trees hung close by the pond's surface, daring to create ripples in the pond. There is nice scenery here at Four Falls Mill: with the willow trees' damp aesthetic, the flowing yet calm pond that turned the watermill, and even the eternally overcast skies above contributed to the pleasuring atmosphere. It's a fresh feeling that Triton Avenue offered, especially here at the Storm Mill. But knowing that the undead lurked around nowadays, Suzie wasn't satisfied with how it was, and her freckled face showed her discontent as turns towards the door.  

"Were coming in!" She calls towards the door. 

Pushing the door away gently, a jingle of a doorbell sounds. It was as if the winds were so eager to slip into the building that they tickled the chimes. The sound accompanied Suzie as she steps inside the mill. She didn't mind the constant rings and dings as her ears were turned off in turn for her eyes, searching for someone inside the seemingly derelict Storm Mill.   

Suzie glances around the room. "Mister Raveneye?"  

Her eyes gradually turn left, scanning the dark, damp-appearing interior until she finds a man with a red shirt and apron, holding up a shovel.  

"O-Oh," the man sounds. He then sighs with relief. "Kids, huh? You had me startled for a moment."  

 At first, the man's pupils were brimming with anticipation for something hostile, making them tremble along within his coffee brown irises. But then the battle-ready energy which filled his eyes seemed to evaporate away gently like sand in the desert, as the man watches Suzie move aside to let the rest of her questmates into the room.  

"Gryphonbane's younger sister: Susie, was it?"  

At the mention of her name, the young Diviner nods. "We're here on an investigation."  

 Meanwhile, Adrian was the last one to enter. He caught sight of the man, either because he was a new person, or that he had a shovel up ready to beat someone down. His body was stocky, and his arms were of a lumberjack's. His skin was a dark tan, and a neatly trimmed black beard grew on his face. On his dark pale blue apron, a name tag was sewn onto it, saying "Blad Raveneye." If Adrian had to guess, Blad appeared to be Miragian(someone from Mirage. They are the Earth equivalent of Arabs). His wide chin complimented his beard and rectangular face while his thick brows over small brown eyes went hand and hand with his slightly craggy forehead. It seemed like he had a lot of labor in the past. But all those signs of early aging seemed to shy away in turn for hopefulness when he heard the purpose as to why the student wizards were on Triton Avenue.  

"You are here investigating these events with the Undead?" Blad asks.

A chuckle of relief sounds from him while hope seems to tug up at the corners of his mouth into a slight smile, like meat hooks bloodied with the sweet nectar of meadow flowers.  

"It's time something was done about them," the mill's foreman says while setting aside his shovel.  

It made a quiet clank on the tiled floor. The floor had designs from Mirage; arabesque patterns of flowers and petals from simple shapes with yet colorfully spiced hues. In contrast to the pretty designs, little splatters of blood could be seen on the floor, as well as the remains of Rotting Fodders' torn coats and rotting flesh. The littles drops of blood wiggled and shivered to the vibrations of footsteps, appearing sorry to stain the fancy-tiled floor. But Blad Raveneye did not mind. If anything, either the little blood drops were there, or Blad would, dead with his meat available for the ghouls' feast. He wasn’t the simple laboring lumberjack-built man that he appeared to be.  

"They're scaring all the citizens away," Blad sighs, racking his mind with the recent occurrences. "Anyways, do you kids need anything?"  

“We need lumina crystals,” Suzie says.  

“Lumina… crystals?” Blad repeats.  

He wasn’t quite sure what the wizards would need with them. They were just devices to store Storm magic to keep Wizard City running. Basically, like batteries, but can also hold things like mana. And magical. And better… And cool.  

"Why I'd give you some crystals. They've been stolen by the undead-"  

"Let me guess, we have to beat up some more walkin' dead for them, yea," Cori interrupts in an annoyed murmur.  

Emily smacks the back of Cori's head.  

"Well no, you won't," Blad smirks while shaking his head. "I already have them ready have them here. Took some chasing around and hiding, however."  

The mill worker glances at the stained glass windows. Shapes of lightning clouds and rain were crafted into the colorful glass. Thinking about the hordes of ghouls out there. He could imagine the objects crafted into the stained glass melt and shift into images of the Undead; mouths opened wide with strands of flesh connecting their lips as if their mouths had to tear skin just to open. And in the Undead's eyes, horror and emptiness filled the sockets like bottomless abysses. All of that vanished as the stained glass melts back to its original images. Blad returns his attention to the young wizards, who instead had shining hope in the whites of their sclerae mixed with fighting spirit colored into their irises.  

"When I got the crystals," he continues, "they've been drained of magic... I tell you guys, I bet the Undead have a way of stealing power from them."  

"That's impossible," a new voice butts in.  

Everyone turns their heads to face Duncan. Everybody thought he’d still be still as sticks after Suzie French kissed him, but they could see that he was full intent on the situation. Those silver eyes of his peered through his curled dreads under the ominous shadow of his hood.   

“They're all too dim-witted to know how to do that.”  

Duncan turns his head to Suzie like she was his partner in crime.  

“Someone must've been behind all this. Someone stronger I bet,” he frowns.  

Suzie scrunches her lips up, trying to consider Duncan’s proposition with somewhat self-provoking thought.  

“If anything, there has to be a ringleader behind all this,” she hesitantly nods. “I guess we have to go around and look for some charged lumina crystals.”  

Adrian raises a hand and speaks up. “Well, let's take a look at what we already have.”  

Suzie and Duncan raise their brows at the Ice wizard. Shui-Lei Stormflower, who was beside him, shows Adrian a curious gaze.  

“What do you mean?” Shuie asks.  

After glancing at Shui-Lei, Adrian begins to consider his words, letting out a thoughtful hum.

“Think about it, the Undead we’ve encountered can all use Storm magic because of these.”  

His hands shift around in his coat pocket like a rodent in a tree knot and produce a storm medallions he looted from the ghouls. Raising it up into the air, everyone saw the black metal medallion with a polished amethyst in it, with chains to make it a pendant. Seeing as how everyone paid attention, Adrian continues with his talk.  

"Mister Blad had said that the crystals had been drained of their magic. I say that the drained magic was used to power these storm medallions."  

Emily had her doubts, mostly because Adrian was a novice wizard.   

"How do you know that?" she asks, raising a brow.  

Adrian shrugs. "It had seemed a little obvious to me. I can't of any other reason they would go through the trouble to steal the crystals. Plus—"  

He points to the smoothly-cut purple gem embedded into the necklace.   

"—these Storm medallions are drained of Storm magic, just like the lumina crystals were, which can mean the necklace needs to be recharged."  

Pride pressed onto Emily's heart like a dam holding in a lake of dubious thoughts within the Storm wizard, but the Elite Initiate spared herself with some humbleness and came close to Adrian.

"How could you tell the necklace was not charged?" she asks.  

Adrian let his gaze hover on Emily, and then held the medallion up to his face, observing the crude, yet ornate intricacies of the black metal necklace. His thumbprints felt onto it like it was a groove-striped seashell.

"I used to study Tempest magic. It's a lot more predictable than Storm magic. Since the Undead were able to use Storm magic with these, I should have been able to easily use that magic as well, but nothing came up."

His free hand comes together by the hand that held the Storm medallion, its palm facing towards Adrian's eyes to imagine upon. He visualized threads of electricity sparking from the medallion to the lines of his palm, trying to extract magic from the necklace. For Adrian, Storm magic can be imagined as a bubble of volatile fluids flowing from the medallion, waiting to be ignited with his own arcane spark. However, doing this produced no results. There was no magic in the Storm medallion. No mana to ignite into lightning.

Emily leaned by Adrian, taking a look at the necklace herself. "How do we know that everyone can use the medallion, and not just the Undead?"  

Adrian shook his head. "There isn't a seal or spell that limits its use to just the Undead. So if even I, a Tempest magician, can't pull out any Storm magic out of this necklace, then it must be empty."

"Well I guess it's safe to assume that your theory is right," Emily nods, but then turns to Duncan Grimwater. "Hey you, Duncan. You said we need lumina crystals for the storm medallions, right? What exactly did you have in mind? You said the Storm magic within the crystals could affect the medallions."  

At the sound of his name, Duncan raises his head, and his silver eyes filled with attention.  

"Ah, that's right. You know when mana is stored within something, it usually also stores the memories of whoever did the ritual for doing so. I was hoping to use the lumina crystals' stored Storm magic to reverse the process of the storm medallions' enchantment, bringing up the 'memories' of how the medallions' magic came to be in the first place."  

"Holy crap, he actually said something intelligent," Cori breathes.  

Emily was about to smack Cori's head again for being rude, but then considered Duncan's flirtatious impoliteness, and shrugs along.  

"But even so," Suzie sombers, "We still need a charged lumina crystal."  

After that reminder of the situation, the wizards stood around idly trying to think up of something, but it was more like a sad vibe hung over the room. Blad's eyes glance around awkwardly while his meaty hands stroked his beard. But then Shui-Lei's head turned up, displaying hope in her eyes.  

"Guys!" She calls out to her team. "This is a Storm mill right?"  

"Uh, yeah," Emily says sarcastically while holding a hand out at Shui-Lei.  

Cori smacks Emily's back for being rude.  

Shui-Lei didn't recognize Emily's sarcasm and continued with excitement. "We can just produce more lumina crystals here!"  

Crossing his arms, Blad Raveneye considered the oriental girl's idea for a moment but quickly shook his head.  

"We cannot," he scrunches his face. "The mill broke down because of the Undead..."  

The Miragian stood up quickly, appearing like he had just recalled something.  

"Come to think of it, ever since the mill shut down, the mill foreman has been missing. He was the only one with me after everyone else fled from Triton Avenue."

"Do you think he knows how to get the storm mill working again?" Shui-Lei asks with a tilted head.  

"That's where I was getting at," Blad nods. "I suppose you kids should go find him-"  

A low but well-audible hum emanated from outside the mill, interrupting Blad's words. Suzie and Duncan were startled by it, and they huddled next to each other as if the eerie humming pushed them together like the cold hands of winter.  

"What was that?" Cori asked Adrian with a hushed demeanor, tugging at his coattails while looking up at him.

A sea-green glow from the one side of the room’s windows tinted the room.

"Why are you asking him?" Emily hisses at her apprentice. "I'm your mentor! He's a rank below you!"  

The droning sound from outside became more apparent to the ear as if something was powering up with ethereal energy.

"I am not a dad," Adrian simply utters.

A hairy, dark-toned arm suddenly strut out in front of him. It was Blad Raveneye’s, signaling for everyone to be quiet. Mechanical sputters and clattering of nuts and bolts had started to accompany the now-vibrant humming, which made Blad perk his head in recognition.

"That sounds like the teleporter," Blad mutters with an investigative tone.  

The mill worker cautiously forces himself closer towards a stained glass window. His fingers were thick, fit for a strongman, making it easy to open the closely-shut window. The more it creaked open, the more bluish-green light spilled into the dim mill building.  

"That must be him!" Blad exclaims.  

Emily raises her brow. "Be who-"  

Blad rushes past her like a train made of human mass and Emily's arm trailed after him in the air hopelessly. After that, Emily turns back to the rest of her group. The look on her face was full of, ‘What just happened?’

The other wizards shrug.

There wasn't any time to be slow when the student wizards followed Blad Raveneye out of the mill. They took a right out of the door towards the pond and found Blad by the side of the building. The mill worker was gazing upon a large blue glowing gem on the grass beside the pond, the size of a rug. It was cut into the shape of a flat dome disc and held in place with copper casting.  

"A teleporter," Shui-Lei recognized.  

"Sohomer must've fixed it," Blad presumes as he kneels down to prospect the large glowing device. "He's the foreman of the mill I mentioned earlier."  

The student wizards watched the teleporter. It started to hum with more vibrancy. A column of translucent light grew from the circle, hiccupping with shrinkages as it tried to form. Eventually, the column of light stabilized, and Blad takes a few steps back. A holographic image of a stocky person emerged from thin air on the teleporter, and then flashes away, leaving behind its materialized version; a bald, chubby, square-faced strongman with a blond mustache, tan apron, white shirt with rolled sleeves, and a leather ushanka with the flaps held up. At first, the man appeared a bit dizzy from the teleportation with his body rocking back and forth, but he manages to ease his motions and shakes it off with his head.  

"Sohomer!" Blad steps forward. "Where have you been?"  

"I am fine, old chap," the blond mustached foreman frowns and slaps his employee's back.  

 _What a big man..._ Adrian observes to himself.  

The thaumaturge then notices the newcomer's name sewn onto his apron. It said _Sohomer Sunblade._ Labeled on top of the name, it said _Foreman._ Sohomer himself notices the wizards around the teleporter.  

"Sorry kids, but I'm no longer the star of the show," he says as if he was in a spotlight. "My days in the circus is over."  

"You were in a circus?" Cori asks naively, tilting her head on her petite figure.  

"Right you are, young chap," Sohomer frowns with a hearty tone. "I lifted elephants, and won caber toss competitions!"  

At this point, Adrian couldn't tell if the mill foreman was angry or positive. It was like he had a permanent frown or something.  His intense blonde eyebrows seemed to masquerade the stocky Sohomer's face to a glower, despite his smile constituted with bravado, confidence, and sensible ego. Neck fat gathered below his chin as he held his chest high.  

"So, why are you small weenies here?" Sohomer asks the wizards with his Scottish English accent.  

"Small weenies?" Duncan asks.  

Suzie looks down on Duncan, but then quickly glances away trying to hide a face of worry.  

"We need your help," Emily announces to the large man. "Mister Raveneye says that you can fix the storm mill."  

"Why yes, I can," Sohomer nods proudly. "I just got done with a storm magic generator to get the teleporter working. But I suppose you wizards are here to fix something as well?"  

His head turns to the gray clouds that shrouded Triton Avenue's heavens eternally.  

"I bet that old chap Ambrose sent you weenies to set the Avenue straight from the undead," he nodded. "Irresponsible mongrel."  

He shakes his head in disapproval, yet afterward, his lips curved into a smirk.  

"But yes, I can fix the storm mill!" He grinned. "I was going to do so anyways. This mill here is one of the main sources of magical energy for all of Wizard City. We have to get it running again, or we'll all be in serious trouble. It's just as that frog Balestrom said! We just need to..."  

Mister Sunblade grows silent for a bit, seeming to lose his egotistical edge. He takes off his ushanka cap and scratches his head.  

"I forgot."  

An irritated energy bounces around in Emily's left cheek, making it twitch with annoyance.  

"You're the foreman, for Bartleby's sake," Emily Stormheart sighs harshly. "You should know all this!"  

Sohomer had a subtle look of victimized guilt. "I know how to get the mill working again! I-I-I just do the heavy work and all, but I'll need a source of power to get the gears working again! And don't know what that is!"  

He crosses his arms, beginning to conjure up how he could resolve the problem.   

"You know," Sohomer starts, "Professor Balestrom helped design the storm mill, so he might know how to power it up. You will need to go to Balestrom and ask his advice."  

Adrian's head perks up. "I do not think we have time to go back and forth."  

"Hmm, yes. I think the white-haired lady is right," Sohomer nods.  

"I am a guy," Adrian gently adds in.  

"Yes!" The strongman grins along but then loses his composition. "Wait, what?"

"I'm even wearing a full suit," Adrian hisses to himself. "And a hat. No person can resist the hat."

"We don't need to go to Professor Balestrom," Cori chirps up,  tugging on Adrian's coat. "We can just call him on the crystalvision, yea!"  

The small adolescent diviner twists around excitedly to Shui-Lei.  

"Shuie! Can we use yours?"  

The chipper words of the young girl threw Shui-Lei off balance, scrambling to readjust her round glasses to her face.  

"M-M-M-Mine???" She stammers. "U-Uh, yes!"  

Anxious energy always kept Shui-Lei's fingers trembling and unstable, but they managed to calm down the more Shui-Lei willed them closer to her small satchel. Unclipping the pouch open, her index, middle fingers, and thumb straighten into the inventory and latches onto a large, clear marble. Shui-Lei brings the oversized marble up in her palm. By the time it came up to eye level, the glass sphere grew into a crystal ball roughly the size of a globe model.  

"I d-don't have Professor Balestrom's mana signature," Shuie stammers.  

Mana signatures are unique to everyone. In this case, they're used like a telephone number to call fellow wizards on the crystalvision medium.  

"Here, here," Emily offers with grabby hands towards the crystal ball. "Let me."  

Shui-Lei hands the crystal sphere to Emily, which she holds up with one hand while the other hand nimbly pops the cork off a mana potion with a thumb.  

"Geez, as if I used enough magic juice today," the Elite Initiate mutters to herself.  

A quick swig of the vial filled with blue arcane fluids sufficed for Emily. Adrian was observing her somewhat closely. Calls on Crystal-Chat--or any activity concerning crystalvision--takes up quite a sum of one's mana, or at least from what Adrian could tell as he owls over Emily. He watched her bring Shui-Lei’s crystal ball into the air within the invisible grasp of wizardly levitation. To Emily, a menu pops up, holding options to whatever a wizard wishes to do, like call another crystal ball, watch something on the crystalvision network or call for emergencies.  

"Man, I wish I brought a stand if I was going to use crystal this much," Emily complains.

Adrian tilted his head when Emily mentioned a "stand." Then again, he often saw crystal balls wizards often used sitting on a cushion which was held up by a short metal pole, like a music stand. Glancing at the glass sphere Emily was using once again, Adrian listened to a short, repeating jingle it played. In the ball, a few words float in the center saying, 'Calling: Professor Balestrom.' The tune kept playing over again and again, and Emily's right foot was already tapping with impatience.  

The diviner groans. "Come on..."  

Finally, an image flickers to life within the crystal ball. A very small frog person was standing on a dark oak desk, with ungraded papers at his webbed feet. The frog was pudgy for his small nature, his skin green like rainforest leaves, and he wore purple striped trousers with the same patterned & colored dress shirt tucked into the pants under a violet coat tailored with lightning gold trims. He even had a little top hat on his head which matched his outfit.  

The professor turns to face Emily within the crystal ball. "Aha? Emily?”

A slightly upset feeling pushes Professor Balestrom’s eyebrows together. Despite that, his voice was still a high, peppy, energetic, audible flavor of lightning-struck ozone.

“Calling while I'm in the middle of class!" He lightly scorned. "I'm sure this is something important."  

“Professor!” Emily leans forward to the call. “You helped designed the Storm Mill, right?”

Balestrom tilts his head, but it appeared as if it retreated back into his shoulder since the frog didn’t have much of a neck. The Storm professor switches his glance back to his class; the students all sitting obediently at their desks, then turned back to Emily. Balestrom and Emily both knew that the quests that sent students onto Firecat Alley, Triton Avenue, and Cyclops Lane were to be kept in secret.

The purple-dressed frog professor turns to his class. “Excuse me, I have to take this call.”

In the image of the crystal ball, Balestrom took a short cane of black and silver and points it towards the screen, and the background shifts from the students to the image of the classroom’s wallpaper moving to the right side as Balestrom took his crystal ball to a secluded place. This location was small and cramped, with shelves of potions, alchemy reagents like eyeballs or scales. It was cramped, but not for the Storm professor because as a frog, he’s small and was able to leap up onto the shelves. After leaning casually onto a large beaker full of a strange, thick, blue goo, Balestrom continued his talk with Emily. She briefs the professor in on the situation, and he nods his head as if he understood.

“Dire news indeed,” Professor Balestrom grimed. The usual, peppy glimmer in his eyes faded into the darkness of the quest. “If the mill is not restored, Triton Avenue will lose magical power, and the rest of Wizard City will follow. We must act right away!”

For a few seconds, the frog professor hopped out of the call’s view. Papers swish around and a few reagents like small pots of dire bear fat rolls across the screen. Finally, Balestrom returns with an old blueprint, studying it as he held it up in front of him.

“Yes…” the frog murmurs.

His eyes dart back at Emily.

“Tell Sohomer that he will need to summon a wild kraken using lumina crystals. Then, he can siphon the power back into the Storm Mill and get it working again!”

Emily nods slowly, understanding her given solution. Sohomer suddenly butts into the call, giving Emily and Professor Balestrom the full brunt of his illustrious blonde mustache.

“He said to use a kraken’s power to repower the mill?” Sohomer Sunblade asks bewildered. “By Gamma’s beak! He’s a genius! Why didn’t I think of that?”

Emily’s hand floats under Sohomer and she pulls down on his blonde mustache, abruptly tugging him away from the call.

“ANYWAY,” she grumbled. “A kraken?”

Duncan leaned into the conversation. "Don't krakens have tails? You think if you'd pull the tail, it'll squeal?"

Suzie smacked Duncan into the ground.

A worried look dried away Emily's usual snappy attitude. Meanwhile, Adrian tilted his head at the mention of a "kraken." At first, he thought of a giant octopus or squid who claimed even the mightiest of ships in the skies, but he then quickly realized they meant a different kraken. Out from the corner of his eyes, Adrian silently remarks upon a violet leather spellcard Emily pulled out of her large, flowing sleeves. On it was a bust of a purple-skinned humanoid beast. It was like the combination of fish and man, with webbed fins masking its face. Its mouth was beaked, and the muscles surrounding the creature's neck was absolutely jacked. Appearing an intimidating creature indeed, Adrian slowly understood Emily's next words.

“Sir, not to be impolite, but a wild kraken is something I probably cannot handle,” Emily explained. “You remember the last time our class tried to tame one for a new spell card. A lot of students almost died.”

“Yes, I remember,” Balestrom nodded. “You will need to work together with whoever you have to subdue the kraken. There is not really any other choice."

Sohomer understood the situation, realizing the danger of what was to be done. "I see..."

The eternal frown that he has on his face truly turned into a grim, brooding expression. He went ahead and turned around to face the teleporter pad he came from. He raised his hand to his face, and a screwdriver was summoned magically to drop into his palm. Kneeling down to the device in front of him, Sohomer rewinds the screws on a panel and takes it off to rewire a few colored cords. The magical hum and energy of the teleporter pad flickered off when he took off the panel, then blinked back on when he finished rerouting the wires.

"Here. I activated this teleporter. Take all the lumina crystals we have down to the arena. You can use them to summon the kraken," Sohomer muttered to the wizards.

He turns back to the students surrounding him.

"I wish I could join you guys, but Blad and I have to be on standby in the mill in order to siphon the kraken's power."

It was as if Sohomer suddenly remembered how to get things working again. Emily and the others all gulped in unison in anticipation.

A reassuring grin appeared under his blonde mustache. "I hope you're all up for this. You'll have to defeat the kraken if Triton Avenue is going to survive. I know you can do it!"

 

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

The briefing of the current mission is as follows:

The goal is to summon a wild kraken, capture it and its power.

The Kraken is a creature of Storm magic, so Storm wizards will be needed in order to summon and contain the creature within the arena. 

Emily Stormheart, Cori Stormcaster, Shui-Lei Stormflower, and Suzie Gryphonbane will form a pentagram around the arena with a large Storm Shield spell, while Duncan Grimwater—as the last member in the pentagram—will have a Hex spell ready, a trap spell in order to capture the kraken's essence.

Adrian Kensington is left with the goal to subdue the kraken.

To the novice thaumaturge, it was a little overwhelming. He could already imagine himself in a caged deathmatch with the beast. Adrian didn't know what to expect, but for him, a novice, to take a kraken alone? When Emily' entire class could not?

A little sigh wisped out between Adrian's lips to cool down the worries within his head.

"Let's see what we have," Adrian settled.

The fighting ground he stood on was the Triton Avenue Arena. It's a small one in comparison to other auditoriums, only being about a quarter of a football field with no place for viewers. It's a platform of limestone and marble splitting apart a river which flowed through Triton Avenue's valley.

"Spacious," he noted. "But not enough... I'll have to move quickly and efficiently."

Surrounding him, his questmates were ready, either kneeling or sitting down in a circle. Emily, Cori, Shui-Lei, and Suzie had their Storm Shield cards on standby. Each of them had a pile of light violet Lumina crystals by their sides as well. Duncan was reciting Ancient Latin with his eyes closed.

The Storm wizard girls chants in unison, "Storm Arts: Storm Shield!"

Together, they slap their palms down onto the stone ground, dispersing the cards into arcane dust. Lines of glowing light illuminate under Adrian's oxfords to form an immense, spanning pentagram; a magic circle with summoning runes, while a lavender bubble forms to trap him inside the arena.His friends remained outside.

"Are you sure big brother will be okay?" Cori shouts to Emily across the arena.

Emily looks up from her hands, and frowns at Adrian, glaring worry and frustration at him.

"It's not like we have a choice," she says. "If he says he can do it, then we might as well take the chance. We can just wipe the summoning circle if he can't take it."

The initiate diviner then forcibly offers Adrian a pair of intensely focused eyes, as if Emily was asking with a growl, "Right?"

 _Sometimes I ask myself why I even offered,_ Adrian whimpers to himself.

His eyes go back to the center of the arena, where he imagined the kraken would appear.

 _I'll have to pull up a few dog tricks I thought I wouldn't have to use,_ he frowns.

A shroud of blackness all of the sudden covered over the arena floor under Adrian's feet, but it didn't really faze him from his anticipating thoughts.

"The Hex spell is ready!" Duncan shouted across the arena.

Emily grunts in confirmation, and nods with furrowed brows.

"Team!" She calls out. "Get ready to summon the kraken!"

"Yeah!" The other diviners shout back in response.

With that, Emily's hands dig into her robes to fish out a thick spell card deck. From it, she picks out a plain, blank card. It was uncolored and had no image of any magical creature. With a wand, she writes a word down on the piece of hard leather, burning Storm magic onto the surface like graphite on paper: _Kraken._ She then whips the card into the sky towards the center of the arena.

"Well then," Adrian sighs. "Here we go."

Watching the card cascade towards the limestone battleground, it seemed like a feather, taking its merry time to fall, but Adrian didn't mind really. He's never had a challenge like this in front of him, and here it is, the card playing around in the air like an innocent imp, when it was really a lightning-crackling beast waiting to be unleashed. He might as well enjoy the last few seconds of peace.

"It's been a long time," Adrian says.

He brings his palm up to hold something invisible, and a strange device materializes within his grasp. It appeared like a giant seed, the size of a gourd. However, it was made a blue metal, appearing like some fancy science fiction machine. It looked very expensive of course, but Adrian casually tosses it in front of him on the ground with a pocket in his coat. It clanks on the stone ground, but no dents were made.

"Emergency beacon set," Adrian mutters to himself as if it was part of a protocol.

From the metal device, his ice blue eyes shift to the blank spell card which Emily threw into the air. Now, it was closer to the ground, just in time for Adrian to see a corner of the spell card dip into the cold floor.

_Flash!_

The center of the arena explodes with a lightburst, a nova of lavender radiance, accompanied with a strike of thunder, booming into everyone's ears. Ringing deafened everyone briefly. Adrian's coattails blew back as a rush of steaming water vapor tries to push him back, but Adrian only tipped his hat, subtly shielding his eyes from such a gale of hot, lightning-struck mists.

"Greetings, friend," he silently mumbles.

A silhouette emerges within the steam and mist; a robust yet lean figure rising from the ground with a double-finned tail, waving around in the air. The haze around it fades away quickly as it rose from the surging arcanities of the magic circle, a hulking figure, strapped with purple, skin, muscles and scaly sinew. Bright yellow spines webbed together with purple skin covered half of its face like a mask, letting its electricity-brimming eyes show through to intimidate those who would oppose the kraken. A great beast with the form of a man, towering at over nine feet and stood on webbed raptor feet. The torso was long with a bustly eight pack on its stomach, defined ribs, and a pair of powerful pecs. Three yellow spines protruded from each forearm as well as claws of the same color on its four-digit hands. Its beaked maw opens to let out of low, deep, shiver-inducing hiss. Adrian felt the air grow with moisture as if he was breathing in mists of a sauna in a volcanic tundra full of hot springs and barren ground clashing against the waves and sea spray of the mighty ocean.

Gently, Adrian raises his arms apart to the interior of his expensive black coat. Attached inside were an array of seven ice-blue crystals. They flicker on with arcane lights. Distorted raindrops and shy shrills sounded from the devices, and they all leave the hearth of Adrian’s clothes to float around him like seven stars bowing to him in organized fashion. Its strange sounds kept playing until it managed to sort its sound waves and frequencies out into a voice; two young girls speaking in unison, ethereal and artificial in nature. One voice was high and sing-songy, while the other was toneless and bored.

“Dorothy_02, online,” the array recited. “Advanced Wand Systems green across the board. Greetings, Lord Kensington.”

_02 was pronounced as ‘oh-two.’

Adrian let his arms down again and let his hands retreat into coat pockets. “Good morning. It seems you have your voice again.”

“Yes,” Dorothy_02’s dual voice agrees.

The wands around Adrian hover to the sides of his head, three to each side, while the seventh wand stands by behind his snow white hair. They formed something akin to antennae off the top of his head as they point towards Adrian’s foe in the center of the arena.

“New entry for field data,” Dorothy said, “Kraken: a magical creature of Storm origin. I am ready to record.”

The sing-songy side of Dorothy’s voice stood up from the other.

“Hey, masterrr,” she says. “I thought _she_ was supposed to field data.”

“ _She_ is soon to go online,” Adrian smiles pleasantly as his eyes were rather intent on the kraken.

The Storm beast beat its fists on the ground in primal fury, hissing and roaring at Adrian. In response, he wasn’t really fazed, and neither was Dorothy_02. She kept asking on about “her.”

The unamused, toneless voice of Dorothy spoke this time. “Can I like not record field data? I’m sleepy…”

“I mean, no I’m not!” Dorothy’s uptuned voice sang.

“Please? Just take _her_ responsibility for now,” Adrian pleaded.

“Yes, my lord,” Dorothy obeyed, this time with her dual voices again.

Meanwhile, the other wizards who held up the Storm shield around the arena watch Adrian conversing casually with his wands right in front of the kraken. Emily’s eyebrows frown inwards, pushed together by the wondering thoughts in her mind in conjunction with frustration and domineering mentality.

 _What the hell is he doing?_ Emily thought. _He’s gonna get himself killed if this keeps up._

Grumbling, she shouts at Adrian.

“HEY! ARE YOU JUST GOING TO STAND THERE?”

A jolt courses through Adrian, making him jump with surprise. Dorothy_02 also was startled. The seven wands around Adrian abruptly shook away from him but then suspended themselves in the air. They weren’t the only ones who responded. The kraken whips like his head at Emily in a split-second, and then lowered its body to come onto all fours. Next thing Emily knew, the kraken suddenly flashes in front of her from meters away to bash its fists at her with only the Storm shield barrier to stop the beast. A deathly shock widened Emily’s eyes. She swore she could’ve had a heart attack.

“Gods damn it,” the storm wizard spat. “Adrian! The thing almost gave me a stroke! Do your thing already! I thought you had this!”

Adrian blinks at Emily, appearing like an idiot. A forgivably adorable idiot with his unsure smile and long white hair framing and curling around his cheeks.

"Yes, ma'am!" He says within monotone, but somehow, it felt enthusiastic.

The floating wands, Dorothy_02, all tilted slightly.

"Did the lord just get bossed at?" She asks herself with her unusual dual voices.

"Pay attention, 02!" Adrian suddenly shouted.

The floating crystals straighten themselves up in order for combat at Adrian's command as he pulls a quintet of magical spellcards from the sleeves of his coat to attach to the tips of his left hand's fingertips like floating, extended graspers. The cards display themselves to Adrian like a gallery, and he reads them out in his mind.

_Ice Beetle._

_Snow Serpent._

_Ghoul._

_Ice Blast._

_Volcanic Shield._

Adrian nods at the cards. "I can work with this. I don't think I can kill the kraken, but I could subdue him."

He folds his fingers in except for the pointer, guiding four of the cards under his wrist while the remaining spell exposed its face to the kraken. With such a mighty beast in front of him, in a one versus one situation, Adrian felt the threat of death knocking on his door. The doors opened by his own hands of the mind. He let the grim feeling sink into his heart, only to fuel a resolve to force mana out his hands, creating a pitch black rune to draw itself in front of him; a Death spell brought out with the fear of death.

 _"_ Soul Summoning: Ghoul."

When the Death rune was released from its form, it released a spray black dandelion fluff-like dust, pretty and delicate in appearance, while the ground crackles between Adrian and his enemy. The kraken, its purple-skinned tail waving in the slightly misty air, suddenly became lax as the kraken turns its head towards Adrian, then to the grounds of the arena between him. The creature of Storm huffed malevolent steam from the nostrils of its beak; hot vapors stark with electric magic. The chinks in the marble ground expand, unfurling a web of rifts upon the surface until the floor fully erupts with hands of men. Their skin was pale, spanning from pastel blue to bleached mint, to faded lavender. The second set of those hands burst forth, working together with their pairing graspers to push rotting men and women out of the earth. Six ghouls in total emerged, with shovels, wearied walking canes, or wooden posts with nails. The ghastly women were up in high ghoulish fashions with tattered white dressing fitting for their funerals while the men even had top hats to fit their tainted navy suits, with the coattails ragged and torn, much like the Rotting Fodders that Adrian and his questmates fought from before. Groans and moans sputter from what the ghouls had left of their vocal cords, and they wielded their makeshift weapons in preparation.

"Go on then," Adrian uttered, unmoving with hands in his coat pockets.

 _"Grrrroooooaah,"_ his undead fodders croaked.

All at once, they attack, running in with unstructured composures, like melting snowmen to a snowball fight. Immediately, the kraken dove on its arms to scream at the incoming ghouls on all fours, making a clamor of threats before retaliating on a bull's charge. For such a towering creature, robust with muscle, and therefore; weight, the kraken was surprisingly agile. It was like watching a bodybuilder infused with the flexible maneuvers of a gymnast. Though the five ghouls banded together to coordinate their attacks, the kraken was simply too fast for them. The first zombie moans as he held up his soil-crusted shovelhead. Surprisingly, the rotting man had sturdy knees and trained arms, about to strike down at the kraken, but the purple fish-like titan darts to the side and simply bashes the shovel fodder away with a swing of its arm. The sheer force of it birthed a shockwave from the fins on the kraken's burly arms, splattering the ghoul's body apart, leaving the remains to stick onto the Storm Shield confining the arena. Shui-Lei, who was watching the battle, had her hands intent on keeping the Storm Shield up. Yet that attention was short-lived as she jumps back in horror back in horror, eyes widened at spots and chunks of blood, bones, suit tatters, and pale, rotting flesh plastered onto the Storm Shield's surface, merely a foot away from the girl's face. Even her braided pigtails seemed to jolt in surprise.

 Meanwhile, Adrian himself began to advance towards his enemy, but in a more relaxed composure, making subtle steps with a calm face as the Ice wizard kept his hands in his pockets, while the seven floating wands danced in coordination around him, conducting more and more Death spells, continuing to summon forth ghouls. He had sauntered closer to the kraken, to the point where he was already in the middle of the arena, with decrepit, forgotten hands of the undead still surfacing around the ankles of his black luster oxfords. Not to mention, Dorothy_02, his seven wands, kept acting as Adrian's hands, holding his Ghoul spell together by maintaining a five-point star in front him behind a Death rune which kept pulsing into dust, then reforming whenever another zombie was crept out of the rifts of the marble slated ground. The remaining two of the seven wands were at bay in front of Adrian's path. Ice had frozen solid onto them to form two crystal kite-shaped jewels that were as long as yardsticks with the sharpest blades as their edges; a pair of swords ready to protect their master.

Though many ghouls were invoked to Adrian's will, the kraken handled them like dolls. The undead's flesh and bones were soft to the Storm beast. They might as well have been jelly. Only the ghouls' numbers held the kraken at bay. Its set of yellow claws thrusts forward and up, and the kraken's body followed accordingly, gliding past a rotting woman with four stripes across her torso, parallel tears in not only her Victorian dress, but her bosom, breasts, and chest as well. And so the zombified woman fell, like the ghoul brethren who became victim to kraken before her, and the others were soon to follow. Every strike carried the purple monster forward, darting around like a cougar.

A dash towards the left.

One ghoul had his pitch coat torn off, along with his entire shoulder and arm, blown into gory bits and gristle.

A roll across the right.

Lovely tatters of a rose-red dress were pilfered away by the air as a spinning, purple ravager gouges away at a female corpse's hip and waist, which launched a whole leg into the air, flipping until it smacks into the Storm Shield dome, right in front of Duncan Grimwater. His face twists in disgust at the sight of a pale, chalky leg. Duncan had one day hoped to stare at a woman's leg, drooling at her sexy calves and succulent thighs, and here it is, detached, off of an already-dead woman no less. The necromancer wanted to throw up, but his palms still kept flat on the ground. The effort of keeping the Hex spell struggled to climb its way back into Grimwater's mind. Adrian didn't seem to mind the flying flesh and horrific wonders of human bits until a piece of a ghoul's cheek flopped onto his shoulder.

" _Eugh_ ," Adrian grunted, swiping it off his expensive coat. "I going to have to wash the blood out..."

Dorothy_02 started to speak, with her ebullient voice turned up. "Wow, you're so cool, master!"

The other, apathetic-toned voice spoke. "And that wasn't sarcastic at all, to clarify."

And then with both voices together, "Please focus on the enemy."

"I am," Adrian nods.

He kept watching the meat blender of a show in front of him, planning out every next move. Adrian observed how the kraken could spin across the floor, letting the spines on its arms rend the flesh of the ghouls the kraken swipes through. He saw how the beast could land lightly on the ground on its hands and feet, yet be able to lever its own weight to rebury a zombie into the ground with crushing force. Not one part of the kraken's body was left unused. Even the tail plunged straight through a zombie's chest, and Storm magic surged from the tail to electrocute the ghoul into black ash and red embers. Despite all this, the fear of death was no longer within him. Instead, calculations and simulations were laid out in his mind. Endless streams and matrices of 1s and 0s littered his mind, while the rest of his brain started to change from fear...

To deadlock confidence. And from there, he starts to plan—

Every next possibility to counteract the kraken.

_Its movements don't seem to slow..._

Every method to subdue the creature.

_I should impair its mobility._

Every path to stopping his target.

_The limbs seem good to tear off. It doesn't need to walk, right?_

Every way to _exterminate_ a lowly beast.

_After all, it's just another varmint to crush._

And with a dour set of dark ice eyes, a few words slipped out his Adrian's lips.

"Another rabid dog to be put down," he snarled.

Though Adrian didn't notice it himself—the change in personality—the others certainly did. The young Cori Stormcaster watched everything, and her brows furrowed in confusion, eyes widened to find Adrian smiling in front of the kraken. It was a small smile, a simple curve of his lips, but an inkling of malevolent intent from it sent shivers down Cori's spine at the thought of such a smirk. The child knew it was unnatural for sure.

Out of his coat pocket, Adrian's left hand comes out, along with the four spell cards at bay, ready to be cast. With a pointer finger, he pushes a card of cerulean leather towards the kraken's direction, and an Ice rune draws itself in front of him as Dorothy_02 gathers herself around the arcane symbol, keeping Adrian's next spell together.

"Snow Summoning:" Adrian recited, "Snow Serpent."

The glowing Ice rune of cold, glowing energy flash froze into an ice sculpture and then shattered into a myriad of pieces to let a giant snake burst out of an arctic flash, all from the source of Adrian's palm. The snow serpent was too fast for anyone to see, appearing only as a light blue streak in the air, until only a second later; the kraken found itself with arms and legs apart, struggling to move around its limbs when the snow serpent kept the kraken constricted with its long, slender body. The snow serpent was larger than any other snake seen in a textbook. Suzie Gryphonbane was behind the kraken as she was kneeling down, keeping the Storm shield dome up in check. She had seen pictures of boas and pythons in the pages of biology textbooks. She could remember a picture of five people; two humans explorers, two zebra tribesmen, and a rhino mercenary carrying an adult python on their shoulders through a Zafarian rainforest. However, the image couldn't compare to the creature Adrian had cast forth to life. It would take at least ten people to even lift up the snow serpent, the very snake in front of her eyes that kept the kraken in bondage.

The fact that Adrian was only a novice, yet he could cast an apprentice-level spell of this magnitude left Suzie in a bundle of thoughts.

"Is this why Emily left the kraken to the novice?" She thought aloud.

 The snow serpent's body, in general, was colored celeste blue and had a powder white collar of fur behind its head. Giant fangs protruded from its mouth like a sabre cat's, and when it opened its maw, Suzie could see that the fangs were of solid, mist-emanating ice, but only for a second. Then she flinched as she watched the pair of fangs sink into the kraken's toned shoulder. The kraken's beak opens, and a hissing roar of pain came out. The arrant force of the cry alone shook the ground. Cracks in the Storm shield formed right in front of Suzie's face, as so did other unparticular parts of the spell. Gales whished and churned within the miniature atmosphere of the Storm shield. The coattails that tailed Adrian flaps and wobbles wildly. His feet had to take steps apart from each other. Knees bent to keep the rest of Adrian's body standing. Fingers held onto the brim of his top hat to keep it from flying away. Yet, Adrian ice blue eyes remained on the kraken, squinted as there were, even through the wiggling, white bangs of his hair.

"If you would be so nice!" Adrian shouted at the kraken, "Your screams produces winds at speeds well over..."

The wizard mutters to himself shortly while holding a finger up to the wind.

"Well over 65 klicks! The wind is adverse to the both of us, so kindly keep quiet! Please?"

With the kraken well-constricted under the binds of the snow serpent, Adrian saw the next step in his plans.

 _Snow serpent bites are supposed to freeze a person's blood and circulatory system,_ Adrian thought. _I suppose Dorothy was being lazy to consider the snow serpent proportionate to the kraken's size. It'll never freeze up at this rate._

Under his tipped hat, Adrian held a card within his palm: _Ice Blast_.

 _I can shut his mouth for him,_ Adrian frowned.

His fingers sink into his palm, crushing the card, and started to channel mana from the depths of his spirit, through his arms, and into his hands. The hands wove away and clockwise to draw intricate lines in the air. Old Latin fonts wrote in between the lines, and it all eventually formed an Ice rune, more complicated and detailed than the other ones he has made. Adrian's other free hand whips away and mashes another card within his fingers.

"Ice Arts: Ice Trap!"

The Ice rune in front of Adrian pulses once with a wave of energy. Immediately afterward, a talisman of ancient symbols made of glowing magic appears on the kraken's maw, plastering onto its tongue and mouth. Right after, Adrian raises his hand like an alert dog.

"Dorothy! A wand!"

Dorothy_02 was quick to answer. "Yes, my lord!"

One of the ice crystals around Adrian lands within his fingers, but as soon as it touched his skin, it warps in form through mists, smokes, and mirrors, becoming an actual wand instead, an instrument of magic, made to be the medium to surging, arcane power. A stick of polished ebony wood, wrapped in aqua tassels, hilted with silver, and partly frozen in a layer of ice.

"Ice Weaving—"

Guided by Adrian's hand, the tip of the new wand traces along the mystic, cerulean lines of the Ice rune in front of him, like he was drawing another one.

"—Ice Blast!"

Again, the Ice rune pulses, cracking a bit this time and gives into Adrian's will. It melts quickly into his wand. Like snakes in the wind, tendrils of snow flurries erupts like a tornado. Yet, they were only like a crossguard of sword compared to the beam of cyan energy exploding out of his wand. Adrian's aim directed the Ice Blast straight into the kraken's open mouth. The constant roaring from the kraken comes to an abrupt halt, and with that, the surging winds stop, letting go Adrian's coattails and waving hair.

The snow serpent which constricted the kraken kept crushing the kraken's body in and forcing its wide-open beak more directly towards Adrian's energy beam of ice magic. The kraken itself could feel the intense coldness jetting relentlessly against its throat, making the creature writhe in panic, yet the snow serpent holding it still would not let it budge and inch.

 A small, begrudging murmur slips from Adrian's mouth. "Eat a bunch of ice."

The Ice Trap planted in the kraken's maw wasn't forgotten. Silently, it kept absorbing all the damage put forth by Adrian's Ice Blast, until his fingers snapped. Spikes on spikes of frozen water detonates from the kraken's maw 'til it was practically holding a boulder of ice in its mouth. Adrian brings up another card in quick succession whilst Dorothy_02 swoops in around the new spell, cycling rapidly as a new Ice rune takes shape in front of the card.

"Snow Summoning: Ice Beetle!"

The wands of Dorothy orbited around Adrian's arm like a fierce jet engine, and with an ousting of his fingers, he 'fires' his spell, shooting a bolt of cyan mana into the sky. It soars until like a flare, it detonates with a poof of heavy snow, and from it; a giant beetle of ice appears. Its shell folds open with its wings flourishing from beneath. Seeing how the great magical insect overshadowed the kraken, Adrian furrows his brows with confidence and swoops an arm downwards to the ground, signaling for the ice beetle to barrel down onto with kraken with all its weight. The pillar of ice spikes built out of the kraken's mouth was like a giant nail. The kraken's head was the board and the ice beetle in the sky; the hammer screaming down towards the nail.

Adrian grinned at the mere thought of what was to happen.

A deafening crash of marble and ice trembles the ground wildly. The river around the arena breaches into the air from the powerful quake, and a chasm of ruination was left behind. Under a guise of icy mist and pulverized concrete clouds,  slabs of the arena floor and concrete foundations pointed to the sky from a crater, the aftermath of the deafening impact. The mist clears and Adrian was left satisfied with the payoff. In the center of the crater, the kraken's body was laid out on a makeshift deathbed of rubble, and its head was wiped clean off, replaced with the tremendous shard of ice the kraken once held in its mouth.  The ice beetle from before was wobbling atop the pillar of ice, until it slips and falls, landing into the crater beside the kraken on all fours. Dust and dirt unsettled from the loud thud of icy beetle legs, and the snow serpent summoned beforehand quickly slithered out of the billowing dust to return to its master, Adrian, unscathed by the impact.

With the explosive impression Adrian left in the ground, an impression was made to the other wizards as well. Emily, Suzie, Cori, Shuie, and Duncan all had their eyes trained on the wreckage of Triton Avenue Arena within the bubble. It was unfathomable at how someone could've possibly achieved such cataclysm and destructive force with such meager, first-year spells. They were Ice spells as well, from the weakest magical school when it came to firepower. It didn't take any verbal agreement for the wizards to acknowledge that for a novice thaumaturge, Adrian was incredible to defeat a kraken with beginner spells. Normally, Emily would've thought that the reason for Adrian's victory was that the kraken was weak, being superior to others in power and ranking. But this time, she knew that there wasn't anything short of this Ice wizard's feat.

"Well?" Adrian called out.

He spins on his heel towards Duncan Grimwater, letting his coattails swish.

"Aren't you going to capture the kraken's essence?" He asks.

A jump caught Duncan on his knees and he quickly nodded.

" _Captionem, heksus,_ " the necromancer recited.

Slowly, Duncan closes his eyes into his incantation. Adrian blinked at him, with hands in pocket. At that point, everything was left to Duncan, and he didn't know what to do until he felt the ground shift under the soles of his oxfords. Looking down, Adrian watched the crumbled ground start to take a darker shade, the white and gray of marble molding into its shadows.

 _The Hex spell is activating,_ he thought to himself.

He sudden looks forward with wide eyes.

"The Hex spell is activating," he said to himself again, out loud this time.

The ice beetle behind and the snow serpent beside him instantly vanishes into mist as Adrian quickly twists around. He didn't know what would happen if the trap spell activated while he was still standing inside, and he didn't want to find out. With a small, but long yell of panic along the way, Adrian flamboyantly fled to the borders of the arena with arms flailing. His floating wands followed after in suit. He stops at the transparent wall of the Storm shield with his feet just a few steps away from the edge of the Hex spell's circular field. With his back against the Storm shield, Adrian watches the headless kraken in the middle of the crater, surrounded by the black of Duncan's spell, until Duncan himself spoke out. Apparently, he was right behind Adrian, outside of the Storm shield.

"Guys, it's not— working!" He shouted.

Duncan's teeth gritted, his mouth pulled back in a scowl, and he pressed his palms harder onto the magic circle on which he was kneeling on, trying to pour more mana into his Hex spell. Looking back at Duncan, Adrian watched him try and try. The other shared the same confusion as well.

Suzie Gryphonbane leaned forward to Duncan's direction. "Duncan! What the hell?"

"It isn't working!" He shouted back. "It's like the damn thing isn't—"

Shadows covered his silver eyes as his head hung over the magic circle he put his hands on. He's realized something. With the Hex spell, Duncan was supposed to able to extract a creature's essence, but that could only be so if they are weakened or even dead. As much as the necromancer tried, he couldn't take the kraken's essence. A voltaic energy warmed his hands with little stings and sensations of pins and needles, but the energy refused to go further than that. The kraken's lifeforce still kept warm to the touch of Duncan's soul, like a hearth to wolves.

"Adrian," he shudders. "Are you sure that thing is dead?"

At the sound of his name, Adrian blinks at Duncan and then turned tail to face the kraken. Squinting his eyes, the thaumaturge couldn't make heads or tails of the situation. After getting its head crushed into the ground by a giant ice shard, Adrian was pretty sure the kraken should be dead. Hesitantly, the young wizard stepped forward.

Something didn't feel right.

Eyes narrowed on the kraken, Adrian watched every detail of it, scoping for any signs of life, and his pupils sized down for precision. He unconsciously strode forward, his legs slightly trembling as the fearlessness he once had started sapping away every step of the way, being replaced with uncertainty. One of his shoes bumped against something metallic: the emergency beacon he set down before. Adrian instinctively glances down, but for the split second Adrian trained his eyes onto the device, his ears picked up a rustling sound from the kraken. As if it was reanimated, the beast sat up on its stone deathbed, headless and horrifying. All that remained of its neck was torn flesh; with the neck tendons flailing in the air, remnants of its spine sticking out, the throat shredded, its larynx exposed, and the airway sputtering out blood.

Everything had been for naught, and Adrian felt the realization crawl within the back of eyes, letting the feeling grind his eyebrows together. Seeing the headless kraken before him, seemingly unaffected by his attack, marked a moment where Adrian had said his first swear word on his own.

_Shit…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yo, I had to split this chapter up into two. Felt things were getting a bit verbose and dragged out, seeing as how I hit the 20 page/10k word goal and beyond.


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